Indians' Jose Ramirez, Franmil Reyes violate COVID-19 protocols, away from team

March 7 (UPI) -- Cleveland Indians veteran third baseman Jose Ramirez and slugger Franmil Reyes were isolated from their teammates at spring training after violating COVID-19 protocols.

Indians manager Terry Francona told reporters Sunday that both players were sent to their temporary homes in Arizona as Cleveland waits for MLB to say when they can return to the team.

Francona said Ramirez and Reyes were sent home Saturday morning after the pair informed the team that they ate inside a local restaurant following Friday's exhibition game in Mesa, which violates COVID-19 guidelines established by the league and the players' union.

Ramirez and Reyes didn't have contact with any other players or team personnel, Francona said.

"We're pretty fortunate here," Francona said Sunday. "We have some medical people who are right on top of things and they came right to me and they said: 'Look, this is what we're doing. We're informing the league.' The players themselves actually self-reported that they had made a mistake.

"So we told them: 'This is not our rules. These are the rules that the players' association and Major League Baseball came up with. We have to enforce them.'"

Last season, the Indians were forced to isolate Reyes and starting pitchers Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac after they broke coronavirus protocols by going out to eat while the team was in Chicago. Clevinger was traded to the San Diego Padres a few weeks later.