Barnes back at Red Sox camp, deemed non-infectious positive for COVID-19

Boston Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes and several of his teammates have returned to camp after it was determined Barnes' positive test result for COVID-19 this past weekend was a non-infectious positive, the team confirmed Monday, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Barnes had been deemed unlikely to be included on Boston's Opening Day roster following the result. Garrett Whitlock, Kevin McCarthy, and Matt Andriese were held out of camp due to contact tracing, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive, who notes Garrett Richards may also have been held out due to Barnes' test result.

"Barnes got cleared by the committee," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said, according to Cotillo. "I don't know about the details. I'm just happy he's going to be back with us and we're going to be at full strength in a few days."

Barnes, 30, is the likely closer for the Red Sox, with offseason acquisition Adam Ottavino also a candidate to earn saves. Barnes owns a 4.08 ERA, a 3.63 FIP, and 15 saves in 325 career appearances across seven seasons - all with Boston.