With the Mets set to return to action on Tuesday after having their season paused on Thursday due to two positive coronavirus tests, GM Brodie Van Wagenen spoke Monday about those impacted by the positive tests and the ramifications on the season moving forward.
Maintaining the team's policy regarding not discussing details about players who are away from the team due to reasons unrelated to baseball, Van Wagenen did not reveal the names of the player and coach who tested positive, and said the team is unsure how the two contracted the virus.
"I think what we're all learning is that this virus continues to have a lot more questions for us than answers," Van Wagenen said during a Zoom call with reporters. "We do feel comfortable that the spread has not come from player-to-player or coach-to-coach. At this point, our best guess is that it came from some outside spot. But that is simply that -- it's a guess. And at this point, we just don't know and we may never know."
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Van Wagenen said that the symptoms of both of the infected parties have alleviated, and that "the peak of their challenges" as it related to how they felt happened in a 36-hour span.
In light of the positive tests, Van Wagenen said that he feels good about the team's protocols and about the way the players have handled themselves away from the ballpark.
"I know that our players take it seriously and we have a high degree of confidence that this exposure that we received is not as a result of anyone misbehaving or failing to be responsible with their own safety."
The two infected individuals remain in Miami, while the four people deemed to have been in close contact with them are in the process of returning to New York.
With the Mets now facing nine games in six days -- including three doubleheaders -- in order to make up the four games that were lost -- Van Wagenen discussed the potential challenges ahead.
"It's a challenge, but this is a year that can't be about excuses," Van Wagenen said. "We are not the only team that has faced adversity with scheduling. We are not the only team that's faced adversity with losing players or coaches for a period of time. Everyone has been faced with their own injury challenges.
"We can't be looking about what we don't have or what our challenges may be going forward. We gotta think about what we do have and find ways to be competitive with the schedule that we're faced with."
As far as how the Mets' starting rotation might shake out over the next week with so many games in such a short period of time, Van Wagenen said he's "hopeful" that David Peterson and Michael Wacha will be able to return, but that the team is still in a wait-and-see approach regarding so much due to the hiatus.
"We're a little bit back into the unknown similar to what we were prior to Summer Camp starting where each player had a little different level of resources available to him when he went home. ... We'll have a much better handle on where each pitcher is by the end of today, to be able to compare and contrast their readiness to pitch tomorrow and thereafter."