It seemed inevitable that at least some members of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization would test positive for the coronavirus, and that became the case on Sunday.
Per Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic, relief pitcher Blake Cederlind and outfielder Socrates Brito tested positive, meaning that they will have to quarantine for at least fourteen days and test negative before returning. Both players permitted the news to become public.
The Pirates drafted Cederlind in the fifth round of the 2016 MLB Draft. Across three levels of the Pittsburgh system in 2019 (Bradenton, Erie, Altoona), the 24-year old compiled a 2.28 ERA with 55 strikeouts in 59.1 innings of work.
During Grapefruit League action prior to the pandemic, Cederlind showed a strong arm, striking out nine batters and not allowing an earned run in 4.2 innings of work.
Brito signed a minor-league contract with an invite to spring training on December 17. Over 200+ career at-bats with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Toronto Blue Jays, Brito has posted a .179 batting average with five home runs and 18 runs batted in.
In 25 at-bats this spring, Brito hit .240 with two doubles and a run batted in, striking out an ugly 13 times in the process.
Both players were part of the Pirates' initial 60-man player pool, which was released on June 27.
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