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Pirates' Hayes tests positive for COVID-19

No. 41 overall prospect has been absent from Summer Camp
Ke'Bryan Hayes batted .280 with a home run, a double and two runs scored during abbreviated Spring Training. (Carlos Osorio/AP)
@jtbloss
July 19, 2020

Second-ranked Pirates prospect Ke'Bryan Hayes has tested positive for COVID-19, Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton told reporters Sunday. Hayes had not been present at Pirates workouts at PNC Park and is currently quarantined. Teams can only disclose a player's positive test if that player gives his consent to have the information

Second-ranked Pirates prospect Ke'Bryan Hayes has tested positive for COVID-19, Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton told reporters Sunday.

Hayes had not been present at Pirates workouts at PNC Park and is currently quarantined. Teams can only disclose a player's positive test if that player gives his consent to have the information shared with the public. At least three other players in the organization have tested positive -- outfielders Socrates Brito and Gregory Polanco and reliever Blake Cederlind.

The severity of Hayes' symptoms is unclear. The news came five days before Opening Day, meaning the 23-year-old is expected to be left off the Pirates' roster when they open up against the Cardinals on Friday night. The odds were already against Hayes to make Pittsburgh's initial 30-man roster; in the shortened season, waiting just five days to add Hayes to the roster and start his service-time clock would delay his free agency by a year.

When Hayes is healthy enough to return, he will give the Pirates a Gold-Glove caliber option at third base without ever having played an inning at the hot corner in the Majors. He won the Minor League version of the fielding award the past three seasons, but the club understands his bat still needs fine-tuning. MLB.com's No. 41 overall prospect hit .265/.336/.415 with 10 home runs in 110 games for Triple-A Indianapolis in 2019.

The son of longtime Major Leaguer Charlie Hayes, Ke'Bryan Hayes was the 32nd overall pick in the 2015 Draft. He batted .308 in his debut season but hasn't eclipsed that figure in any year since. Before the pandemic put baseball on pause, he went 7-25 (.280) with five walks, a homer and a double in 13 Grapefruit League games.

The Pirates' alternate training site during the season will be at Double-A Altoona's PNG Field, a little less than 100 miles from Pittsburgh. Before Hayes can join team activities and be removed from the COVID-19 Injured List, he must test negative twice more than 24 hours apart, be symptom-free for 72 hours and be cleared by the Pirates' team doctors.

Joe Bloss is a contributor for MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @jtbloss.