I was pretty annoyed when Cleveland Indians pitcher Zach Plesac violated team and league COVID-19 protocols by leaving the team hotel following his start Saturday night against the Chicago White Sox.
I am utterly livid Plesac's teammate and fellow pitcher Mike Clevinger for doing the same. Indeed, Clevinger went out with Plesac and did not disclose this fact. Because of Clevinger's failure to disclose he ended up flying with the team back to Cleveland while Plesac drove back. The Indians have now quarantined Clevinger and has been scratched from his start tomorrow against the Chicago Cubs.
The worry here is that if Clevinger is exposed to COVID-19 he could have spread it to his teammates and other team personnel on the flight back to Cleveland. Whether or not anyone tests positive for COVID-19, Clevinger should not pitch again for the Tribe this season not only for blatantly disregarding team and league protocols but endangering others with his presence on the team flight.
As has been noted on Twitter, Indians starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco has a compromised immune system due to his battle with leukemia last season. That Plesac and especially Clevinger didn't give Carrasco a moment's thought is unfathomable.
Clevinger, 29, was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in 2011. He was acquired by the Tribe during the 2014 season for Vinnie Pestano and made his big league debut in 2016. In 100 career appearances with Cleveland (87 starts), Clevinger is 42-22 with a 3.20 ERA with 578 strikeouts in 517.1 IP.
Under the circumstances, Clevinger should be disciplined far more harshly than Plesac. What I fear is that the Indians and MLB will give them a slap on the wrist. The flouting of COVID-19 rules will make a further mockery of the joke the 2020 MLB season has already become.
No comments:
Post a Comment