After returning from a stint on the COVID-19 list, New York Mets pitcher Chris Bassitt told reporters he found it “ridiculous” that Major League Baseball was still following pandemic protocols and testing for the coronavirus.
Bassitt missed a week, including one scheduled start, while on the COVID IL. He said he tested positive but was asymptomatic.
“Just stop testing,” Bassitt said. “Stop acting like COVID is far worse than a lot of other things. I was never sick.”
Bassitt claimed he could be sent back to the COVID IL if follow-up tests came back positive, despite his lack of symptoms.
“I guess the answer is I should never have said anything,” Bassitt said. “I should never have said that I tested positive, and I probably won’t the rest of my career. There’s no way; there’s no reason.”
Bassitt is 6-5 with a 4.01 ERA in 15 starts in his first season with the Mets, who acquired him from the Oakland Athletics in an offseason trade. He will return Friday in a start against the visiting Miami Marlins.
–Field Level Media