Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss at least four games, starting with Wednesday night’s contest against the visiting Texas Rangers.
Seattle third base and bench coach Manny Acta also tested positive, leaving acting manager duties to Kristopher Negron. Acta has managerial experience in Cleveland. Negron was the skipper at Triple-A Tacoma last season.
Servais and Acta are the latest to be sidelined in a COVID outbreak within the Seattle organization. The Seattle Times reports at least a dozen people have tested positive.
Both Servais and Acta are fully vaccinated, meaning they have to wait at least two days before testing again, provided they have no symptoms. Then they will need two consecutive days of negative tests and approval from the team physician before they can return. The earliest they could return is Sunday.
The Mariners host the Rangers again Thursday before beginning a three-game set against the visiting Kansas City Royals on Friday.
Servais and Acta join infield coach Perry Hill as well as catcher Luis Torrens, outfielder Mitch Haniger and right-hander Paul Sewald who have tested positive. Servais just implemented a mask mandate indoors on Tuesday, per the Times.
Mariners hitting coach Tony Arnerich will serve as third base coach in place of Acta. The team brought up Zach Vincej from Tacoma to coach first base. The Mariners will also have minor league hitting cooRdinator C.J. Gilman and special coordinator Dan Wilson in the dugout in uniform.
Also Wednesday, the Mariners placed Sewald on the COVID injured list and selected RHP Penn Murfee from Tacoma. Sewald has appeared in four games this season, going 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA with no walks and three strikeouts. Murfee hasn’t pitched in a major league game.
Servais, 54, is in his seventh season as skipper of the Mariners. He’s 444-437, including 6-5 this season.
–Field Level Media