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Rays relieved Kevan Smith is coronavirus free, pleased with process

Notes: Catcher made the right call in being honest with team officials that he wasn't feeling well, and testing ensued.
 
Rays catcher Kevan Smith, pictured on July 9 after practice, quickly alerted the team when he didn't feel well. CHRIS URSO    |   Times
Rays catcher Kevan Smith, pictured on July 9 after practice, quickly alerted the team when he didn't feel well. CHRIS URSO | Times [ CHRIS URSO | Times ]
Published Aug. 3, 2020

The Rays were relieved to avoid their first in-season COVID-19 scare, as catcher Kevan Smith tested negative twice and was cleared to return to active duty Sunday after just one day on the injured list.

Smith felt some cold-like symptoms and light-headedness on Friday, and his decision to immediately inform the athletic training staff set in motion the necessary protocols.

He was quickly tested at the stadium and sent back to the hotel in Baltimore, stayed there on Saturday as he was put on the injured list, took another test that was negative, then was cleared by the Major League Baseball panel Sunday morning and reinstated to the roster. (Infielder Daniel Robertson, who was recalled from the taxi squad on Saturday, was optioned back.)

Related: 5-1 loss to Orioles caps winless road trip

Any concerns that the Rays could be the next team to have an outbreak were alleviated.

“Credit him for coming forward and saying he felt a little off and our training staff for acting really quickly,’' manager Kevin Cash said on a Zoom video call from Baltimore.

“That’s what you have to do right now. I’m proud of the way we handled it. Really proud of Kevin being honest. I think a lot of our players are recognizing what’s going (on) around the league.

“You’ve just got to be honest. If something feels off you need to say it and we’ll do everything we can to jump on the testing and see where you’re at. But there’s no doubt anytime somebody says headache or definitely like a fever or any issues, that concern naturally is going to kind of come into the back of your mind.’'

Help on the way?

Outfielder Austin Meadows, the 2019 team co-MVP, could rejoin the team as soon as Tuesday, pending an evaluation by team officials of his work at the Port Charlotte camp. Meadows rejoined workouts on July 25 after missing three weeks following a positive COVID-19 test that led to some fatigue but mostly minor symptoms. He addressed the last test of running the bases at full speed on Sunday before playing in a simulated game, and Cash said there would be a forthcoming discussion of his status. “We want to do right by him,’' Cash said. “What we’ve found with a lot of information and a lot of guys coming back from this, it’s the soft tissue stuff that we’ve got to be very aware of, meaning hamstrings, obliques, all those things. We want to make sure his legs are underneath him as much as possible.’'

Numbers of the day

10-13, .434; 101-43, .701

Rays record and winning percentage at Camden Yards since the start of 2018, composite record and winning percentage of all other visiting teams.

Extra, extra

The Rays on Saturday lost their first extra-inning game under the new rules of starting each frame with a man on second. Reliever Chaz Roe, who gave up the game-losing hit, isn’t a fan of the format. “I don’t think that’s baseball at all,’' Roe said. “I think that’s a terrible, terrible rule that never should have been enforced in my opinion. It’s not how you play the game.’' … In their 5-4, 11-inning loss, the Rays did make some kind of history. When Ji-Man Choi was thrown out trying to get to third after Yoshi Tsutsugo flied out to open the top of the 10th, it was the first ever double play to lead off an inning, per the Elias Sports Bureau. There was another odd situation in the 11th, when Joey Wendle was slated to hit third but never got to bat, as Mike Zunino led off with a strikeout and Kevin Kiermaier was doubled off second when Manuel Margot’s line drive was caught.

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Quote of the day

“We understand that we haven’t been playing great and we’re looking to fix it. This off-day will be huge to kind of re-set it a little.’'

- Infielder/outfielder Brandon Lowe

Miscellany

Margot came out of the game when his lower back stiffened a couple innings after an awkward reach at a pitch, but Cash said with treatment “he should be good to go.’' … Third baseman Mike Brosseau’s error on a bunt was the Rays’ 11th of the season, second most in the American League behind the Royals (12). … At 4-6, the Rays are two games under .500 for the first time since being 39-41 on June 28, 2018. … Being swept in series by the Braves and Orioles matches the total times the Rays were swept last season.