Anthony Santander’s health situation became fairly obvious early this month, but remained clandestine, in part, because this is how the organization wants to handle any information surrounding its COVID-19 testing procedures and results.
Instead of acknowledging that players are in COVID-19 protocol and allowing for speculation to fester, Orioles general manager Mike Elias and the organization have decided to say nothing about the subject until there is a resolution.
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That creates plenty of speculation, too, but at least there aren’t reports about a guy having the virus that must be retracted once it’s discovered that the player triggered a false positive or is in the protocol only because he has been exposed to someone who had the coronavirus.
And, to give credit, the Orioles made good on the promise that absent players, when they returned and were ready to talk, would be encouraged to do so. Santander, who broke out last year with a 20-homer season in 405 plate appearances, is the first Oriole to go through this whole process.
Given the amount of time the 25-year-old outfielder has been away from the team — basically, since intake testing began early this month — there wasn’t a whole lot of mystery surrounding his situation. But on Wednesday, a day after he worked out at Camden Yards for the first time this summer, Santander spoke to the media during a Zoom call.
He said he had been dealing with COVID-19 symptoms, specifically a low-grade fever for consecutive days, then he tested positive July 1 and was quarantined for 14 days.
“Now, I’m healthy. I’m not contagious,” Santander said. “I’m happy to be back on the field with my teammates. And I’m ready to work out.”
Santander had a light workout Tuesday — outfield drills, tracking pitches in the bullpen, BP against coaches — and ramped it up a little more Wednesday. He is hoping to be ready by Opening Day on July 24 at Fenway Park.
“I’m lucky that I’ve got mild symptoms. Now we have (eight) days before Opening Day,” he said. “I mean, I just have to work and try to get ready as soon as possible.”
Santander, a Venezuela native, did not return to his home country once baseball shut down in March, but stayed in Florida. He said he did not know how he contracted the virus.
Because he never really felt poorly, he said he was able to exercise during quarantine, doing pushups and core work. Now, it’s a matter of getting his timing back offensively.
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Through interpreter Ramón Alarcón, Santander said he hopes Major League Baseball can complete the 2020 season, despite the pandemic, because he thinks the sport can “bring some joy to the fans. Hopefully, everybody is smart about doing the right thing, and just be careful, wearing masks as much of the time as possible, and keep social distancing.”
No ‘bullying,’ just welcoming
One thing that struck me about Santander’s Zoom on Wednesday was his take on how he has been received by teammates since he returned to Camden Yards.
“Pretty good. They know this is something serious and so we are all teammates, we are all family, so they received me very good,” Santander said. “No bullying, nothing of that stuff. They are saying that, ‘We are glad you are here.'”
First thing worth addressing: Santander did most of his interview in English, with only occasional help from Alarcón. Three years ago, as a rookie in 2017, Santander spoke almost no English, so what an accomplishment it is to have learned another language so quickly and confidently.
That said, there may have been a little bit lost in translation with the word choice of “bullying.” I don’t think anyone expected Santander’s Orioles teammates to steal his per diem or say disparaging things about him on social media, kind of the way we view that word these days.
But I think there is a pertinent point in the sentiment he was delivering while answering the question. Having tested positive for COVID-19 has a stigma to it. I’m sure in many workplaces there would be a concern if a co-worker came back after having the coronavirus. And I’m sure the worker who tested positive would have some trepidation in returning to the office.
So, I imagine there had to be a little anxiety for Santander, a concern that teammates may treat him differently — ignore him or say something inappropriate. As ridiculous as that may seem, we are in an unprecedented time and you don’t know how people will react in uncharted and uncomfortable situations.
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Honestly, I was even a little thrown off when the question was asked. It didn’t cross my mind that Santander wouldn’t be welcomed back warmly. That’s often how clubhouses work. But in retrospect, given the “no bullying” response, it probably was a question worth asking.
The next Zoom media session Wednesday was with infielder Pat Valaika, the first Oriole available after Santander’s announcement. Valaika was asked about his thoughts on Santander’s situation, his return and whether that experience shed more light on the coronavirus dangers.
“I felt bad for him, first off. The first priority was making sure they were healthy and able to recover from it. So, thankful for that,” Valaika said. “Absolutely, it hits closer to home. I saw (Santander) the very first day of testing. I said, ‘Hi’ to him. And, the next thing you know, he is gone for two weeks. So, it definitely hits home. Makes you think that you’ve got to take all the precautions you can.”
No word on Smith Jr. in the fluid outfield
Now that Santander has joined the club, the only other player in the Orioles’ original 44-man pool who has not participated in workouts since intake testing is outfielder Dwight Smith Jr.
The Orioles have not addressed Smith’s absence and manager Brandon Hyde reiterated Wednesday that there was no update.
Regardless of the specifics — and, again, speculation will occur with these “no information” cases — missing this time has got to be crushing Smith. With only four true outfielders in the original players’ pool, including DJ Stewart, who is returning from injury, Smith was in a great position to seize a starting outfield role for Opening Day.
Now, you have to wonder when Smith will be able to join the club and if his opportunity will be as significant once he returns. Santander is back in the mix and Hyde has heaped praise on Stewart and how he has looked in his recovery from ankle surgery. Meanwhile, Ryan Mountcastle, Mason Williams and Cedric Mullins have been added to the player pool — though, at this point, they are viewed as members of the overflow group at the camp in Bowie, which has begun.
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The 27-year-old Smith, a former supplemental first-rounder of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011, is talented, but he’s dealt with both injuries and inconsistencies, offensively and defensively, in his career. He spoke in March about how he was determined to make the most of any shot he received this year. And now, with maybe the best chance of his big-league career there for the taking, he has been unable to get on the field.
There has been one positive development this week for Smith and other Orioles outfielders: The club won’t be adding free agent Yasiel Puig. The Orioles were reportedly interested, but Puig has signed with the Atlanta Braves. My take: I saw both sides of this one. He would have been fun to watch at Camden Yards, but I’m not sure Puig would have been a great addition from a clubhouse perspective. I think it was an idea worth exploring, but not a major loss that it didn’t happen.
Waiting on some bigger prospect names to drop
The Orioles haven’t announced some of their top prospects to the overflow pool, players such as DL Hall, Grayson Rodriguez and Yusniel Díaz.
“I think they are going to get, hopefully, invited,” Hyde said. “We’ll see.”
The front office is still juggling invitations and I imagine they want to keep some spots open in case they add players from other organizations or free agency who can help in 2020. Once the 60-man pool is full, the Orioles can’t add someone else without removing someone from it and, subsequently, from the organization.
They are at 53 right now, so there will be more players added. But there’s no harm in doing that slowly, especially considering the overflow camp will run all summer.
(Photo of Santander in February: Joe Robbins / Getty Images)