Juan Soto’s testing debacle proves MLB’s tests might be seriously sketchy
Washington Nationals slugger Juan Soto tested positive for the coronavirus hours before Opening Day’s first pitch
Hours before Opening Day last week, Major League Baseball was rocked when it was announced star Washington Nationals slugger Juan Soto had tested positive for the coronavirus and was ruled out for the showdown against the Yankees.
Soto is yet to take the field, as he’s still waiting to be given the green light to put his gloves on, grab a bat and try to send a ball to the moon like he normally does.
The latest reports out of camp make it clear Soto is growing increasingly frustrated, as he’s healthy and has provided multiple negative tests. Yet, he hasn’t been able to return to action with the rest of his teammates?
Washington #Nats star Juan Soto is getting increasingly frustrated, his teammates say. He has reportedly tested negative six times_three by MLB and three by the team_but has not had back-to-back negative tests, keeping him out of action.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 28, 2020
Juan Soto is growing frustrated with how long it’s taking for him to return to action for the Nats
Per MLB insider Bob Nightengale, Soto has submitted six negative coronavirus tests, with three coming from the team and three from the league. However, he’s yet to submit back-to-back negatives, which is why he hasn’t been cleared to get back on the field with the rest of the team. Despite all the negative tests, Soto can’t play and it’s annoying him.
We’ve seen plenty of MLB players test positive now, with things for the Miami Marlins getting worse and worse. Before the start of the campaign, Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu had a similar situation to Soto’s, as he said earlier this month he took around 11-12 tests before he was finally cleared.
LeMahieu said he’d have negative tests followed up with a positive one despite feeling 100% normal.
DJ LeMahieu: "I think ended up having about 11 to 12 tests. It was weird because I tested negative and then positive and then negative. It was frustrating because I was feeling 100% normal and still every morning I'd wake up at 7 o'clock to see the result and it was positive."
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) July 18, 2020
Nationals fan are anxiously waiting the return of their young superstar. It’s completely up in the air when Soto will be able to get himself back in the batter’s box, though.