New York Mets: Brad Brach tells his experience with COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered millions of lives in so many ways. Besides the deaths, the lost job positions, the world economy effects, the quarantine, and the change in plans, lots of families have been separated. One of them, albeit briefly, was New York Mets‘ reliever Brad Brach.

When he tested positive for coronavirus, he found himself isolated and recovering in Long Island. His wife was 34 weeks pregnant when she found out that she was positive, as well, and she was in Nashville, Tennessee.

Several weeks passed and the Mets’ righty could only dream about being healthy in time to meet her wife and get to know their twin boys. Thankfully, he tested negative and was able to do just that.

“Thankfully, it was nothing too serious,” Brach said after returning to MLB.com Citi Field on Saturday. “Just really happy and glad to be back. Just glad my wife’s feeling good and the boys are safe, and everybody’s doing all right.”

When Brach underwent intake testing at Citi Field earlier in July, he was feeling some symptoms but figured it was just a cold. Then, he left the park and grabbed some lunch. Upon biting his sandwich, he couldn’t taste it. That’s when he knew he was going to test positive.

The Mets’ reliever had to alter his training routine

He was forced to quarantine in his hotel room in Garden City, keeping his arm in “shape” by throwing a baseball into a tube sock and with a weighted ball bag delivered to him by the New York Mets’ staff. After the days went by, he was able to drive to empty parks to throw a baseball with increased velocity into a fence.

He threw a bullpen session on Saturday at Citi Field with no isses. He is a little behind but should be able to return to the Mets’ active roster in a few days.

Brach will throw another bullpen today, and the idea is to graduate to live batting practice soon.

“More than anything, I was just frustrated because these last four or five months have been like a roller coaster of emotions,” Brach said. “You think the season’s going to be over, then you hear it’s going to start next week, and then you think it’s going to be over again. So when we finally got the word that Spring 2.0 was starting back up, you’re just excited to get back and be around the guys.”