Bubba Starling went on the IL after he reported cold symptoms as part of MLB protocol
Kansas City Royals manager Mike Matheny announced that the club had activated outfielder Bubba Starling from the injured list before Friday night’s series opener against the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis.
Starling, a former three-sport phenom at Gardner Edgerton High School, then explained to reporters why his abbreviated IL stint was both COVID-19 related ... and simultaneously not due to a COVID-19 infection.
“Just a cold,” Starling said of the diagnosis. “Obviously, all those symptoms fall into the COVID category, so they were just being extra-cautious. But (it was) just a cold. It took me some days to get over it, but I’m feeling good now.”
As The Star reported Monday, Starling did not contract the virus when he was placed on the IL last week following the club’s loss to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
The Royals were just being cautious due to the MLB’s health and safety protocols and the ongoing pandemic. Placing him on the IL while he stayed away from the team also allowed them to add a player to their active roster.
The club did not list an injury when it announced Starling had been placed on the IL on Aug. 5. That led some to speculate that Starling, 28, had contracted the coronavirus.
“I woke up with a pretty bad cough, had some stuff going on in (my chest), was kind of having a borderline temperature and was just flushing out a lot of stuff,” Starling said Friday afternoon. “And I didn’t feel real good.”
Starling reported the symptoms to team officials as required by MLB protocol. He said it took three full days before he felt better. On the fourth day, he was able to be active again. Then he reported to the Royals’ alternate training site, T-Bones Stadium in Kansas City, Kan., Monday in order to prepare to rejoin the big-league team.
The IL stint proved particularly frustrating for the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Starling because he’d battled injuries throughout his career before breaking through and making his MLB debut last season. He was drafted No. 5 overall in 2011.
“I was losing my mind,” Starling said. “Then you have people messaging you this and that. ‘You’re on the IL again. What’d you hurt? What’d you do?’
“I’m like, ‘Dude. I’m not hurt. It’s just part of this MLB protocol with COVID and it’s really strict and you’ve got to strict with it.’ That’s what we did, and I’m luckily healthy now.”
The club optioned infielder Jeison Guzman to make room for Starling. Guzman will remain with the club as part of the Royals’ five-player taxi squad for road trips.
