After Positive COVID-19 Test, White Sox' Moncada Ready To Move On

CHICAGO, IL – Chicago White Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada admits that when he first tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this month, he wasn’t exactly sure what to think.

But after revealing to reporters that he was one of two Sox players who had become infected, Moncada said is now prepared to settle into preparations for the upcoming 60-game season that begins next week.

The team announced on July 5 that both who had tested positive were both asymptomatic but did not reveal their identity to protect their privacy. In a Zoom call on Thursday, Moncada expressed the frustration he felt by not being able to be with his teammates as he remained in isolation while his teammates resumed preparations for the season after the pandemic shut down spring training.

“It was difficult for me,” Moncada said. “I wanted to be on the field but I had to stay at home. I couldn’t leave my house.”

He added: “I didn’t know how this would affect me…but thank God I felt good for the most part.”

Moncada said he never experienced any serious symptoms and only lost his ability to smell and taste for a few days. But after recovering at home and then testing negative in consecutive tests prior to rejoining the team for workouts at Guaranteed Rate Thursday, Moncada is prepared to move on.

The White Sox begin the season July 24 against the Minnesota Twins.

Manager Rick Renteria said on a Zoom call that Moncada struggled a bit to find a groove in the field in his first workout with the team, but showed positive signs at the plate. Renteria said he and other team officials will have a better idea where Moncada is in the next 2-3 days, during which time Moncada will likely experience soreness.

“We’re going to have a much more controlled bit of work for him away from fielding ground balls and hitting, in terms of some of the explosive work, reactionary work that he’s going to do,” Renteria said. “I’ll have a better idea in a few days and see how his body is reacting and we’ll go from there.”

Moncada hit .315 with 25 home runs, 79 RBIs, 83 runs scored with 10 stolen bases in 132 games in 2019.

“We’re very excited to have him back. A big, big piece of the puzzle,” Renteria said of the young star. “Hopefully we can help him transition into a game-ready state sooner rather than later, but always being mindful of all the things we have to check off before we believe he’s ready to go.”

Moncada, who said Thursday that being inactive for so long took a toll in his first workout, acknowledged that although he knows he will have to be patient initially, the fact the shortened season begins in just a week gives him incentive to jump back into the mix as quickly as possible.

Yet, after overcoming some initial fear about his positive test, Moncada said with all of the excitement surrounding expectations for the Sox this season, he never considered opting out like teammate Michael Kopech did over looming concerns surrounding the ongoing pandemic.

“I was always confident to play this season,” Moncada said. “I thought the first time this probably would take longer. But thank God all the symptoms and all the protocols were good and it took less time than I suspected. But I always wanted to play this season and doing whatever it takes to play this season.”