Report: Athletics Rookie LH starter Jesus Luzardo Tests Positive for COVID-19

Oakland Athletics rookie left-handed starter Jesus Luzardo has yet to appear in an an A's Summer Camp workout. The San Francisco Chronicle reported Tuesday afternoon that Luzardo has tested positive for the coronavirus.

The Oakland A’s highly regarded rookie left-handed starter Jesús Luzardo has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Tuesday afternoon.

The 22-year-old, who was supposed to be in the A’s starting rotation, will now have to self-isolate under the protocols agreed to by Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association. Luzardo will not be cleared to return to the team until he can test negative in consecutive separate tests taken at least 24 hours apart.

In a text message to The Chronicle, Luzardo wrote: “I’m feeling good, just ready to get going once I get 2 negatives; praying for it to be soon.”

Luzardo is the first A’s player to test positive for the coronavirus. Both he and fellow starter Mike Fiers were held out of workouts Friday and Saturday while waiting on testing results. Fiers, who had worked out with Luzardo in Florida with baseball on hiatus, has been cleared and is back workout out.

When Luzardo will be able to say that is anyone’s guess.

With just about 2.5 weeks left in MLB’s Summer Camp before the season is supposed to start – the A’s first game is scheduled for July 24 in the Coliseum against the Angels – the A’s are going to have to plan for Luzardo not being part of the rotation.

The organization declines as a matter of policy to discuss testing results regarding the coronavirus, but in a conference call Tuesday, manager Bob Melvin admitted it was possible that the makeup of the rotation would need to be considered.

Fiers, Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, and A.J. Puk are currently being groomed for the rotation. Chris Bassitt, who was on target to be in the rotation back in March when it seemed as if Puk might not be stretched out enough to start, would seem to be the likeliest candidate to fill in with Luzardo out.

“I have not personally spoken with (Luzardo),” reliever Jake Diekman said in a conference call after Tuesday’s workout. “And I do not want to comment on any of that because I have no idea. But I do wish that MLB would come out with a true report of how many people have it.

“I think that people don’t understand that if it says `test results pending,’ it could mean that result are actually pending.”

Melvin said both Fiers and Luzardo were “pending” Saturday when he said the two men were not in the A’s camp at the time.

Luzardo made his big-league debut in relief last September, striking out 13 batters in 8.1 innings while posting a 1.08 ERA. He’s the top-ranked player in the A’s organization, and was being touted as a Rookie of the Year candidate, one of the reasons the A’s have been so optimistic about their chance in 2020.

He had a 1.50 ERA in his six September relief appearances in 2019 and threw three scoreless innings in the A’s loss to Tampa Bay in the Wild Card game, giving up one hit and striking out four.

If Luzardo is asymptomatic, he could train on his own, but he wouldn’t be able to face live hitters.

Follow Athletics insider John Hickey on Twitter: @JHickey3

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