PHILADELPHIA – If Phillies center fielder Adam Haseley is upset, he offered no indication Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park.

Haseley arrived in Philadelphia last Tuesday. He took his required COVID-19 intake test Wednesday, with an eye on working out with his teammates for the first time Friday. But Haseley never got his results. He finally learned Saturday that there had been a “lab error,” according to Phillies general manager Matt Klentak. Haseley took a second test Monday. He tested negative and participated in the second half of the team’s workout Tuesday.

“Yeah, I mean, I didn’t personally think it was too big of a deal,” Haseley said.

But it could be a big deal if something similar happens again, especially in a 60-game season.

“I think we all have concerns about that,” Phillies manager Joe Girardi said. “When there are probably 1,500 to 1,800 tests a day, to say that they would all be perfect I think is unrealistic. I think we have to roll with it. That doesn't mean we're going to be happy about it or that we won't be upset if it happens. But it would be naive of us to think they are going to be perfect. Sometimes we have cases that are going to be pending for another day, and it seems they come back negative. It's just part of the process that we have to learn to deal with. And hopefully if we get by this first week and they don't have 3,000 tests coming in a day, it will get better.”

Haseley entered camp competing with Roman Quinn for playing time in center field. He batted .266 with five home runs, 26 RBIs and a .720 OPS in 242 plate appearances last season, but .300 with two homers, 12 RBIs and an .804 OPS in his final 111 plate appearances. He impressed defensively in September. Quinn batted .368 with three homers, seven RBIs and a 1.139 OPS in a 13-game stretch before suffering a season-ending groin injury in August. It is a small sample size, but Quinn’s talents tantalize the Phillies’ front office.

If he can only stay healthy.

“My mind is open,” Girardi said about playing time in center field. “My mind is really open with that spot. If one guy emerges, it’s one guy. If it’s a platoon, it’s a platoon. If one guy plays more than the other, we have that. The big thing is that we get production out of center field. That’s what I’m looking for. That doesn’t necessarily mean home runs. It could mean getting on base and scoring runs and a lot of different things. Really good defense. Sometimes when we talk about production, we think of home runs and RBIs. There’s a lot more to the game than that. I’m just going to let it play out and see who rises to the top here.”

In other words, the player that starts in center field on Opening Day isn’t necessarily going to finish the season with the most plate appearances.

“Rome and I have always pushed each other,” Haseley said. “I came up last year. He's a great teammate, a great person. I feel like every time we're out there it's not like we're trying to compete with each other and do this and that. We definitely pushed each other. Just like every other player on this team, we're trying to rise up as a team and get better. It's not at all on a personal level. It's just how well could we each do our jobs. By doing that, we're going to make the team better.”

The Phillies will need their best players on the field if they expect to win. They expect the testing process to work more smoothly down the line.

“It's everything,” Haseley said. “I've got to look out for my teammates' families. I've got to look out for my family. I mean, it was my initial exam, so I'm not sure what this situation would look like if we're a couple weeks down the road. I'm not sure what that would look like. But yeah, I mean, that's my priority. I know that's everyone in the clubhouse's priority, to take care of each other. It's definitely at the forefront of our mind.”