Detroit Tigers add Daniel Norris and five prospects to 10-day injured list

Since COVID-19 testing protocols began around major league baseball last week, there have been a steady stream of players testing positive, or simply being placed on the 10-day injured list for undisclosed reasons. Typically, in this strange and scary season, those cases are presumed to be for positive tests, but players’ medical status can’t be revealed without their permission.

On Wednesday, Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Daniel Norris was placed on the 10-day IL. Five Tigers prospects joined him on Friday. Details aren’t necessarily forthcoming, but these placings, in lieu of an actual injury report, are generally presumed to be for positive tests.

In the case of Norris, he was non-committal, but open with reporters, stating that he didn’t mind if they reported it as a positive COVID-19 test, but was otherwise feeling healthy and hopeful to get to camp and back on the mound relatively soon. For a player with a long history of injuries, as well as a bout with thyroid cancer, it was probably more important to Norris to let everyone know that he is apparently asymptomatic, feeling good, and hopeful that the wait to clear the virus and pass the necessary tests wouldn’t be too long.

For the group of five Tigers prospects added on Friday, the circumstances are still unclear. The club added RHP Alex Faedo, IF Isaac Paredes, LHP Tarik Skubal, SS Sergio Alcantara, and OF Daz Cameron to the 10-day IL, but as yet there are no accompanying details.

Three of the five, Skubal, Paredes, and Faedo, are listed among the top 10 Tigers prospects per FanGraphs.

Outfielder Victor Reyes has also been missing from camp, but for happier reasons. Reyes was in Venezuela for the birth of his first child. He was back in Detroit and in uniform on Thursday, and should see action within a few days.

Teams have until July 20 before they have to declare a specific injury designation on players on the 10-day IL. So at the moment, there’s no way to know if the five tested positive for COVID-19 or whether they may just be injured.