Aug 21, 2020 4 min read

Miguel Rojas hit a three-run homer in his first at-bat after being activated from the COVID-19 injured list, and the Miami Marlins snapped a five-game skid by beating the Washington Nationals 3-2 on Friday night.

Rojas connected in the second inning against Patrick Corbin (2-2), and that was all Miami needed to take the opener of a five-game series. Rojas hadn’t played since July 26, when the Marlins’ season was suspended amid a team-wide coronavirus outbreak.

The 31-year-old Rojas was activated Thursday – when Miami’s game against New York was postponed after the Mets had two team members test positive – and was the first of the 17 Miami players sidelined by COVID-19 to return.

Strasburg could need surgery: Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg was diagnosed with carpal tunnel neuritis on his throwing hand after seeing a nerve specialist, manager Dave Martinez said.

Martinez said surgery could be an option but he has yet to talk with the 2019 World Series MVP. Strasburg was put on the injured list on Aug. 15, a day after he recorded just two outs at Baltimore. It was the 32-year-old’s first appearance on the IL since 2018.

After going 18-6 with a 3.32 ERA in 33 starts in 2019, the right-hander is 0-1 this season with a 10.80 ERA in two starts.

“I’m going to talk to him to see what his options are and what he wants to do,” Martinez said before Friday’s game against the Marlins. “I think it’s something that’s going to have to be fixed, so we’ll see.”

Interleague

Subway Series postponed: Major League Baseball postponed this weekend’s Subway Series to allow time for more testing and contact tracing after two members of the New York Mets tested positive for the coronavirus.

The Mets had their game Thursday night at Miami as well as Friday’s opener against the Yankees postponed on Thursday after the results were reported. MLB postponed the rest of the weekend series between the New York teams on Friday “out of an abundance of caution and to allow for additional testing and contact tracing.”

The Mets flew home Thursday night and are in New York, and the team said the traveling party was tested at Citi Field on Friday morning before being sent home to quarantine. The team does not plan to work out this weekend.

The team said those who tested positive or were identified as close contacts remained in Miami. It did not specify how many close contacts had been identified.

American League

Francona not back with Indians: Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona was not with the team for Friday’s series opener against the Detroit Tigers as he recovers from a medical procedure to address a gastrointestinal ailment.

Francona’s status for the rest of the series is not yet known. President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti is scheduled to provide an update on Francona.

The 61-year-old manager has been bothered by the condition for most of the past year. Francona did not travel with the team on its recent trip to Detroit and Pittsburgh so he could undergo further treatment at the Cleveland Clinic.

The Indians hoped Francona would return to the dugout when they got home, but he’ not ready. He has missed 11 games this season because of his health.

First-base coach Sandy Alomar Jr. will continue to manage the team while Francona is sidelined. The Indians have won six straight overall and 20 consecutive games over Detroit.