A’s first baseman Matt Olson is considering wearing a facemask when a runner gets on, especially while he’s so close to him when positioned for a pickoff throw.
Olson hadn’t done so during the A’s first three games but said Monday on MLB Network that he might change course.
The coronavirus outbreak within the Miami Marlins has provided a harsh reality check that should alter thinking for baseball players working in a pandemic. While Olson and the A’s are confident in their adherence to health and safety protocols, seeing two games get postponed and so many on one team get infected has given most everyone pause.
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It has forced Olson to consider changing some practices.
“You have a good idea about what your team is doing but you aren’t quite sure what’s happening on the visiting side,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said before Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels. “If he’s comfortable with that, I’m all for it.”
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Such reconsideration is a sign that the Marlins' outbreak has raised eyebrows across the league.
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“With what went down today, obviously guys are talking about it,” Melvin said. “The preparation [for Monday’s game] is like it normally is, but there’s heightened awareness because what everybody was hoping wouldn’t happen did. Hopefully, we can control that better.”
[RELATED: A's hope to stay safe, continue playing after Marlins' coronavirus outbreak]
The A’s have been adamant since training camp began that they’re taking MLB’s health and safety protocols seriously. There’s less certainty how an opponent is operating. There’s also some uneasiness about hitting the road, something the A’s won’t do until after the Colorado Rockies series concludes, considering all the new variables added with planes and hotels.
“You can’t help it,” Melvin said. “We felt like things were going pretty smoothly. We knew that the road would be a different part of this whole thing. It seems like the other teams have handled it okay. One team has not. You don’t know if it’s their fault or not. You don’t know how this thing got around their clubhouse. You just do the best you can and be as cautious as you can possibly be with your team until someone tells you that you have to handle something differently.”