Baker 'feels OK' after positive COVID test; Espada fills in

CLEVELAND -- The Astros were a man down in the dugout on Friday, as manager Dusty Baker tested positive for COVID-19, the team announced shortly after the first pitch.

The team said that Baker, a 73-year-old cancer survivor, was feeling fine. Bench coach Joe Espada filled in as manager for the game against the Guardians on Friday and will manage the Astros until Baker returns.

“He feels OK, he has some mild symptoms," Espada said of Baker on Saturday. "He said being in his room is driving him crazy and that if it wasn’t for music, he wouldn’t make it.”

Prior to the start of the 2021 season, Baker said he had received both doses of his COVID-19 vaccination, and he was part of several public service announcements while at home in the Sacramento, Calif., area to push for others to get vaccinated.

Baker is eligible to return 10 days after the onset of symptoms, or after he receives two consecutive negative COVID-19 tests (taken at least 24 hours apart).