CLEVELAND — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from the Tuesday, May 10, 2022 episode of the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show.
One day after announcing that seven coaches -- including manager Terry Francona -- are in MLB's Health and Safety protocols, the Cleveland Guardians announced that first baseman/outfielder Josh Naylor has been placed on the COVID-19 injury list.
With Naylor on the COVID-19 list, the Guardians have reinstated Yu Chang from the injured list. Cleveland is set to begin a three-game series on the road against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night.
The Guardians' previously scheduled game against the Chicago White Sox this past Wednesday was postponed due to multiple positive COVID-19 tests. On Thursday -- which marked an off-day on Cleveland's schedule -- the team announced that the following seven coaches had been placed in MLB's Health and Safety protocols:
- Manager Terry Francona
- Bench Coach DeMarlo Hale
- Hitting Coach Chris Valaika
- Asst Pitching Coach Joe Torres
- First Base Coach Sandy Alomar
- Third Base Coach Mike Sarbaugh
- Major League Hitting Analyst Justin Toole
Pitching coach Carl Willis will serve as the team's acting manager for this weekend's series in Minnesota.
After his 2021 campaign was brought to a premature end by a gruesome leg injury, Naylor had been enjoying a strong start to the 2022 season. Appearing in 22 games, the 2015 first-round pick has hit for a .347 average (.988 OPS) to go along with five home runs and 22 RBI -- eight of which came in a record-setting performance vs. the White Sox on Tuesday.