Ron Roenicke’s first season as manager of the Boston Red Sox certainly is off to a weird start, but he’s ready to get the season started.
The 63-year-old isn’t technically considered high-risk to contract the coronavirus. And even though he admitted the pandemic has made him uncomfortable, he believes Major League Baseball is taking all the necessary precautions.
“I think the protocols that we put into place, I think we covered as much as we think we can cover,” Roenicke said Monday during a Zoom call, via The Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams. “It’s always uncomfortable. It was uncomfortable when I was home in California. Any time I left the house it was uncomfortable. Our people, I know, have put so much into place, myself, all the players and coaches, that, we feel pretty good coming in.”
Roenicke said the doctors told him he’s healthy, but acknowledged he still needs to be “concerned with trying to stay away from it.”
“I’m really not that concerned. I still don’t feel I’m old, I guess,” Roenicke said. “I feel good health-wise. My doctors all say I’m healthy. I feel good that way. But, obviously, it’s a concern because you don’t know how it affects other people. Whether you’re 20 years old or whether you’re 63 as I am, you still have to be concerned with trying to stay away from it.”
There have been a number of positive COVID-19 tests among MLB players and staff, including the Red Sox. But with all the protocols in place, it’s easy to see why Roenicke feels confident going into the 2020 season.
