I’m not sure any pitcher in baseball can actual rival what Jacob deGrom is doing right now, but if anyone is close, it’s been Brewers righty Corbin Burnes. With a 1.53 ERA and 0.50 FIP (not a typo), Burnes is on the cusp of setting the record for consecutive strikeouts without a walk, and has a 45.4% strikeout rate to go with that 0.0% walk rate. He has been transcendent.
And now he’s going to be out, with Milwaukee media assuming this designation means a positive COVID test:
No injury listed for Corbin Burnes. Nowadays, that often means a positive COVID test. Players must give permission to state that. Either way, a huge loss for the #Brewers. https://t.co/WtH8au5V3G
— Tom (@Haudricourt) April 29, 2021
Teams specify a player's injury when putting him on the IL if it is an actual injury. If they don't specify, we can assume positive COVID test. Teams not allowed to state that without players permission.
— Tom (@Haudricourt) April 29, 2021
You’ll also note that the release says “injured list” for Burnes, as opposed to “10-day injured list” for Godley.
If Burnes did indeed test positive for COVID-19, the first thought is that you hope it’s asymptomatic and he’s fine, and that there wasn’t a risk of an outbreak. Yes, even on the Brewers, I do not want to see that. Secondly, if there was a positive, you note that Burnes is going to have to miss a minimum of two weeks. For a guy who was on the roll he was on, that’s a serious blow to the rhythm of the season and the Brewers’ rotation.
Note that the Cubs and Brewers don’t meet again until June after their three series this month (all won by the Brewers). The Brewers (14-10) currently lead the NL Central by a game and a half over the Cardinals. The Cubs (10-14) are alone in last place.