Red Sox Get Back To Work As ‘Summer Camp’ Opens At Fenway Park

BOSTON (CBS) — The tests are done and now it’s time to play ball. The Red Sox get back to work Friday at Fenway Park.

Red Sox players, fresh off being tested for COVID-19 on Wednesday and Thursday, will hold their first team workout at their home ballpark on Friday as Major League Baseball resumes the 2020 season. The workout will begin at approximately 10am and conclude by 4pm.

Teams will have roughly three weeks of a second spring training — apply titled “summer camp” by MLB — before the 60-game seasons begins around July 23-24. This will look much different than life down in Fort Myers, though, with several rules and protocols to follow due to the pandemic. While there will be fungo bats and other assorted drills as players get back into playing shape, there will be no spitting, high fives or hugging.

Yeah, baseball is going to look a lot different this summer.

As of Friday morning, there was no word of any Red Sox players testing positive for COVID-19. Should a player test positive during camp — or at any point during the season — will be placed on the COVID-19 Related Injured List, which does not have a time limit. In order to be removed from the list, players have to test negative twice at least 24 hours apart, cannot have had a fever for at least 72 hours, and must have taken an antibody test.

Doctors and a joint COVID-19 committee created by the league and the union must all sign off for a player to be removed from the list.

The boys are back. pic.twitter.com/7s7T3BXLv8

— Red Sox (@RedSox) July 2, 2020

Boston players don’t seem to be too concerned about the virus as they return to work.

“I’m sure everyone has some anxiety, at some level, about a return to play. But from my conversations with our guys they’re so excited to get going,” Red Sox team president Sam Kennedy said Thursday in a joint press conference with Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh at Fenway Park. “It has been amazing to see Jackie Bradley Jr., and J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogarts coming back together and getting to be reunited. We haven’t seen each other since March 12 down in Spring Training, so it’s been a bit of a homecoming week.”

Kennedy also said Thursday that the Red Sox will use Boston College for part of its summer camp.