Monday's Twins-Athletics game postponed due to COVID-19 issues

April 18 (UPI) -- MLB has postponed Monday's game between the Minnesota Twins and Oakland Athletics at Oakland Coliseum to allow the Twins organization to conduct testing and contact tracing for COVID-19.

The matchup has been rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on Tuesday, with the first game scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EDT.

The Twins learned that a member of their traveling party tested positive for the coronavirus following their game against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night. Minnesota's games against the Angels on Saturday and Sunday were postponed due to its COVID-19 problems.

Derek Falvey, the Twins' president of baseball operations, said the club -- which has had at least four positive tests this past week -- is dealing with a variant strain of COVID-19.

"It does create a little bit more uncertainty about going forward and how long it takes for someone who may have been infected to turn positive," Falvey told the team's official website Sunday. "So there's a lot of things we're working with our medical staff to determine."

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Saturday that outfielder Kyle Garlick, another unnamed player and a team staffer tested positive for the virus in the days before the club's postponements against the Angels. Minnesota shortstop Andrelton Simmons already failed to make the trip to Anaheim, Calif., after testing positive earlier in the week.

There have been six MLB games postponed this season because of COVID-19.