New York Mets starting pitcher Marcus Stroman has decided to sit out for the remainder of the 2020 Major League Baseball season due to concerns related to coronavirus. According to the Associated Press on Monday, Stroman showed significant hesitation in pitching against the Miami Marlins in south Florida next week when 20 Marlins recently tested positive for the disease.
Stroman had missed the start of the 2020 Major League Baseball regular season with a torn left calf muscle. It will now be interesting to see if Stroman returns to the Mets next year as he is set to be an offseason free agent.
In 2019, Stroman was an All-Star for the first time. He shared the season with the Mets an Toronto Blue Jays. In 32 games, Stroman had a record of 10 wins and 13 losses, an earned run average of 3.22, a WHIP of 1.31, 159 strikeouts, 58 walks, 183 hits allowed, and 66 earned runs allowed in 184 1/3 innings pitched.
Stroman becomes the second Mets player to opt out of the 2020 Major League Baseball season. He follows outfielder Yoenis Cespedes of Campechuela, Cuba, who opted out on August 2.
Coronavirus continues to hit the St. Louis Cardinals. The team has not played since July 29. So far, they have had 13 games postponed, and now there are serious questions whether or not the Cardinals can make these games up through doubleheaders. As of Monday, 10 Cardinals players and seven staff members have coronavirus according to Kevin Dotson, Cesar Marin, and Hollie Silverman of CNN.
As for the Mets, expect rookie David Peterson to replace Stroman in the starting rotation permanently for the remainder of the season. Peterson has been very respectable for the Mets in 2020 as he has a record of two wins, one loss, and an earned run average of 3.78.
