Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Tim Locastro tested positive for COVID-19, manager Torey Lovullo told reporters on Wednesday.
Locastro’s positive test came back Tuesday night. Lovullo said Locastro will be tested further to rule out a false positive.
“I got the information last night, spoke to him this morning and he’s in the protocol and feeling fine,” Lovullo said.
Lovullo said concern was “minimal” regarding whether or not the virus could have been spread to other players or coaches.
“You can’t be too careful,” Lovullo said. “Those were some of the messages that we relayed to our group today. We have responsibilities when we step away from the ballpark. When we’re at the ballpark, we’re really good, we follow the protocols. But we step away from the ballpark, we can’t let our guard down.”
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The 28-year-old Locastro batted .290 with two homers, seven RBIs and four steals in 33 games last season. The speedster had a career-best 17 steals in 2019.
Also, outfielder Kole Calhoun underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. An MRI exam on Tuesday detected the tear.
“He’s doing extremely well,” Lovullo said of Calhoun. “I was texting with him right after surgery. It was encouraging to know he got back to me right away. Getting the chance to hear his voice was good for me. He seems to be doing well and resting comfortably.”
Calhoun, 33, batted .226 with 16 homers and 40 RBIs in 54 games last year during the 60-game shortened season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Overall, Calhoun has a .248 career average with 156 homers and 491 RBIs in 1,020 games. He spent seven-plus seasons with the Los Angeles Angels before signing as a free agent with the Diamondbacks prior to last season.
–Field Level Media