COVID-19 protocols prompt roster shuffle

Before the Mariners’ series opener Friday in San Diego, general manager Jerry Dipoto announced there was a potential positive COVID-19 result among the latest round of testing from the team’s clubhouse. Four relief pitchers were placed on the injured list for contact tracing protocols.

“When we landed here in San Diego, we were notified that we did have a positive COVID test,” manager Scott Servais added during his media session via Zoom on Friday afternoon. “We are going to be short a few players today, so we've added some extra guys to fill in the holes there as we try to work through this,”

Left-hander Anthony Misiewicz and right-handers Robert Dugger, Drew Steckenrider and Will Vest were placed on the IL. Those four players will stay behind in San Diego once the Mariners conclude the three-game series.

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"All the situations are a little bit different,” Servais said. “Certainly, for the players that are vaccinated, they may be allowed to come back to the team quicker, even though they were in close contact versus the ones that are not vaccinated that were in close contact with positive tests.

“MLB looks at all those things, and we'll probably have more clarification as we get deeper into this, probably the next day or two,”

Right-hander Keynan Middleton was activated from the IL. Right-handers Wyatt Mills and Yohan Ramirez, left-hander Aaron Fletcher and infielder Eric Campbell were called up from Triple-A Tacoma.

“MLB is very involved in talking to our trainers and the people who oversee the COVID protocols with us,” Servais said, “So we'll know more.”

Servais described Seattle’s vaccination rate as “trending in the right direction, but we still got a ways to go” in reference to MLB’s 85% vaccination threshold that, once achieved, will allow for loosened restrictions around the clubhouse and when traveling.