ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - The St. Louis Cardinals have announced the names of six of the seven players that tested positive for COVID-19 in the last week – after permission was given by those players. They are catcher Yadier Molina, infielders Paul DeJong, Edmundo Sosa, and Rangel Ravelo, and pitchers Junior Fernández and Kodi Whitley. All six individuals made the decision to grant permission in order to release this information.
Molina first announced his positive test in a post he published on Instagram on Tuesday.
The post reads, as translated to English:
"I am saddened to have tested positive for COVID-19, even after following the prevention recommendations. I will do everything in my power to return as soon as possible for fans of the Cardinals, the city of St. Louis and my teammates. As I recover, I request that my privacy and that of my family be respected during my absence from the team. Blessings!"
A post shared by @ yadier_marciano_molina on Aug 4, 2020 at 8:31am PDT
DeJong also made a statement that was released by the team.
“I am disappointed to share that I have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, even though I followed team protocols,” stated DeJong. “I will approach my healing as I do all other things in my life – with education, commitment, and persistence. I look forward to re-joining the team soon and ask that you respect my privacy at this time.”
On Monday the team announced seven players and six staff members on the team’s traveling party had tested positive. Seven games have been postponed from last Friday into this week because of the positive tests.
The Cardinals have had seven games postponed due to the 13-person outbreak: a three-game weekend series in Milwaukee and four-game series in Detroit. The soonest they may be back in game action will be on Friday in St. Louis against the Chicago Cubs.