Braves lose both catchers ahead of Opening Day

With the Atlanta Braves just a few hours from beginning their 2020 season, news came out this morning that both of the catchers on the active roster will be unavailable for tonight's game. 

According to MLB.com's Mark Bowman, both Tyler Flowers and Travis d'Arnaud will not be with the team when they take on the Mets this afternoon. Both players have tested negative for COVID-19, but are showing symptoms and are currently in Atlanta instead of traveling with the team. 

This is obviously tough news for the Braves, who now have to call up Alex Jackson and William Contreras. 

The Braves had been hit hard by the virus, with four players testing positive at the beginning of summer camp and Yasiel Puig testing positive before he could sign a free agent deal with the team last week. 

The Washington Nationals suffered a loss in their lineup when All-Star outfielder Juan Soto received a positive test result yesterday. As the season goes on and we see more positive tests, it really does seem like the team with the fewest positive cases will end up winning the World Series. 

As for the Braves catchers now, Jackson has played four games in the Major Leagues while Contreras has never played in the Majors. We'll see how they handle this situation, but it's a tough break for the Braves right before starting the season.