Nola clarified the reason for his delayed arrival to camp Monday, explaining that he never tested positive for COVID-19 but was exposed to someone who had, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
MLB protocols dictate that players isolate themselves and get tested in Nola's situation, which he did. He never experienced symptoms, and his test results came back negative, but the timing involved in the processing of the test meant he was unable to participate in the team's initial workouts. The slight loss of practice time may have a small impact on the righty's ability to go deep in his his Opening Day start, but he believes he's still in line to make that appearance, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Even if he's on a pitch count for his first turn or two in the rotation, the fact that he never came down with the virus means there shouldn't be any long-lasting effects on his performance this season.