A view of the Washington Nationals logo on a bat weight. Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Nationals have 'major' COVID-19 outbreak; series vs. Mets in doubt?

By Zac Wassink | Last updated Apr 1, 2021 6:55 PM ET

Fans of the New York Mets may have to wait until after Easter Sunday to see four-time All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor make his regular-season debut for the Amazins.

Thursday's season opener between the Mets and Washington Nationals was postponed through Friday due to COVID-19 issues impacting the Nationals. Washington knew early Thursday afternoon that at least one player tested positive for the coronavirus and that five total players and a staff member would've missed Thursday's game.

Per Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo confirmed later in the day the team could be staring at a "major outbreak" that could cause MLB to postpone the entire series:

Rizzo said Nats have two more positives today and a likely positive, all players. So three players have tested positive and another is considered likely to do so.
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) April 1, 2021

This is a major outbreak by any standard. Rizzo said they still don’t know when they may play again, but said he is confident the outbreak didn’t result from a player breaking protocol. https://t.co/tqREM7KAx1
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) April 1, 2021

Rizzo said the Nats are in communication with DC about getting vaccinated, but have to be aware of not taking vaccines from people who need them more. He also said players who didn’t test positive are under “Mike Rizzo mandated quarantine until we get this figured out.”
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) April 1, 2021

As of early Thursday evening, the Mets and Nationals remained scheduled to play in Washington on Saturday afternoon and again on Sunday afternoon. Because they're division opponents, MLB would have a plethora of opportunities to reschedule up to three games if the league scraps the series.

Late Wednesday night, word broke that Lindor and the Mets agreed to a 10-year extension worth $341 million. He spoke with reporters on Thursday afternoon and said he was "honored," "blessed," and "humbled" by the club's commitment to him following the January trade with the Cleveland Indians.

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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