Two days before Great American Ball Park returned to full capacity, the Cincinnati Reds reached a milestone for normalcy.
The Reds announced on Monday that 85% of Tier 1 individuals are considered fully vaccinated for COVID-19 as of today. As a result, the Reds no longer have to follow several coronavirus related protocols that have been in place since the start of the 2020 regular season.
“Anything to get back to the good old days of 2019, I’m for,” Reds right fielder Nick Castellanos said. “I’m ready to just put everything that has to do with COVID in the rear-view mirror and never look back at it.”
More:Series Wrap: Tyler Stephenson stands out at the plate as Reds drop series to Cubs
The most visible difference will be that players and coaches are no longer required to wear masks in the dugout, and protocols outside the stadium are also relaxed.
On Friday, MLB announced that 16 teams had reached the 85% threshold, and now the Reds are on that list. The first four clubs reached that mark at the end of April, and the Reds join a majority of MLB teams with relaxed guidelines.
More:Tyler Mahle sharp for five innings, Cincinnati Reds beat Chicago Cubs to avoid sweep
“You look at all the things that are happening with fans coming back, we're able to spend more time outside in summer months, less mask wearing,” manager David Bell said. “At this point, it's going to feel very normal because what we've been dealing with has become almost normal anyway. Now a lot more gets lifted and it's going to feel great. It's going to feel free and back to normal.”
Here’s a look at some of the changes for the Reds Tier One individuals (mostly players and coaches).
- Wearing a mask is no longer required in the dugouts or bullpen.
- Allowed to gather in indoor spaces with other fully vaccinated individuals.
- Fully vaccinated family members can stay in hotel rooms.
- Players do not need to wear masks in the weight room.
- They have the option to decrease testing on the Tier 2 schedule (twice a week instead of every other day).
- Fully vaccinated individuals do not need to quarantine after close contacts.
- No longer have to notify the compliance officer when leaving the hotel on the road.
- Can eat at restaurants indoors or outdoors.
- Tier One individuals no longer need to wear contact tracing devices.
- No restrictions on dining at restaurants or who you can stay with on the road.
Roster move with Wade Miley back
As anticipated, Reds starting pitcher Wade Miley was activated from the 10-day injured list on Monday to start against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Miley had been out since May 19, when he sprained his left foot during an at-bat against the San Francisco Giants. In a corresponding roster move, the Reds optioned left-handed reliever Cionel Pérez to Triple-A Louisville.
Pérez, who had already been optioned to Triple-A twice this season, has a 7.47 ERA in 17 games.
“It’s just trusting his ability and being willing to attack the hitter and throw strikes,” Bell said. “It’s easier said than done, but when you have stuff like that, in the end, that’s going to be the key, trusting in that… He’s so close, he’s going to be back, he just has to stay with it right now and get through this time.”
Nick Castellanos keeps it going
Entering Monday’s game, Castellanos led MLB with a .359 batting average, ranked second with a 1.063 OPS (on base plus slugging), ranked sixth in doubles, 14th in home runs and first in slugging percentage.
Last season, Castellanos had a .315 batting average and a 1.171 OPS over the first 15 games of the season. After that, Castellanos hit .195 with a .655 OPS over his final 45 games.
More:'Just me being comfortable': Why Nick Castellanos wants to emulate old-school stars
In 2021, Castellanos started strong and is improving as the season continues.
“I’m a lot happier this year,” Castellanos said. “Last year, with all of the restrictions and the state of the country and just the anger and everything, I was just an unhappy, depressed, trapped person. That usually is not a good remedy for success in anything you do.”
Source link
