Mum's the word on Moncada's absence from Sox's summer camp
In a typical season, Major League Baseball is very good at announcing player injuries.
If a pitcher has a torn elbow ligament and needs Tommy John surgery, the information is made public.
The same goes for more minor ailments, be it a strained hamstring or a fractured hamate bone.
This is a much different season due to COVID-19, and certain information is no longer in free flow.
HIPAA regulations are in place, and players testing positive for the coronavirus have the right to privacy.
Two White Sox players have tested positive for the virus, and they have not been named. There is already speculation star third baseman Yoan Moncada was a positive test, based on his continued absence from summer camp at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Starting pitcher Michael Kopech is not with the Sox due to personal reasons, but general manager Rick Hahn was able to reveal it is not a health issue.
As for Moncada, maybe he's in a similar situation as Indians outfielder Franmil Reyes. Cleveland told Reyes to stay away from camp after he was spotted on social media not wearing a mask at a July 4 party.
White Sox manager Rick Renteria has not given any reasons for Moncada's absence, a sign of the new times.
"If there are questions I can't answer, I can't answer them," Renteria said. "It doesn't make it any different or any more difficult. It's one of the things that comes with it. It doesn't make my life any more difficult. (The media) have a job to do to ask questions you have to ask. There are going to be some things I can't give you any information on."
Sweet home:
The 60-game schedule was released Monday and the Sox and Cubs wrap up the short season with a three-game series at Guaranteed Rate Field (Sept. 25-27).
If there are one or two playoff spots riding on the final set, Renteria will be thrilled.
"Well, let's look forward to that," Renteria said. "Let's all be happy that there's a possibility of that occurring, let's all embrace it as a city. I know that most of Chicago would like to see a crosstown World Series some day. Maybe this will be a little taste of it.
"But all I know is we see our crosstown rivals as just another team that we have to do the best we possibly can to defeat on a daily basis. If it happens to be for a slot in postseason, even better."
Play ball:
Most major-league teams have already started playing intrasquad games to prepare for the short season.
The White Sox will split up and play on Thursday, likely a 7-inning game.
"I can't worry about what everybody else is doing, I can only worry about the Chicago White Sox and how we're putting our plan together," Renteria said. "I think they (players) are doing very, very well. I hope, and the expectation is the way we're bringing them along will give us the best chance of having them in as good of shape as we can possibly get them to start the season. They're going to be OK."