Indians Jose Ramirez and Franmil Reyes Told To Stay Away From Team After Violating COVID-19 Protocols

The Cleveland Indians have sat a couple of players due to a violation of the COVID-19 protocol after the pair went to get a haircut Friday.

The two players are third baseman Jose Ramirez and DH/OF Franmil Reyes, who according to manager Terry Francona, are being told to stay away from the team for the time being.

The incident reportedly took place after Reyes went to get a haircut on Friday and met with Ramírez at an indoor restaurant the same day.

It's not the first time that Reyes has been asked to stay away from the team for a COVID-19 violation, as last year he attended a 4th of July party and was seen in photos without wearing a mask.

Reyes, who last season hit .275 with nine homers and 34 RBI in 59 games, was brought to the Indians from the San Diego Padres in the middle of the 2019 season.

"They have been re-tested, as everybody is," Francona said Sunday morning of Ramirez and Reyes.

"This is now, though, a league protocol thing. We're pretty fortunate here, we have some medical people that are right on top of things, and they came right to me and they said, 'Look, here's what we're doing. We're informing the league'...and just, the players themselves actually self-reported, that they had made a mistake.

"So we told them, we said, 'This is not our rules. These are the rules that came up with, we have to enforce them.'"

The Indians are getting used to players breaking COVID-19 rules, as last season two of the team's starting pitchers, Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac were kept away from the Indians after violating protocols in Chicago.

Francona said on Sunday that Major League Baseball is well aware of the situation with the Tribe, and the organization is awaiting word on when the pair may be able to rejoin the team.