PITTSBURGH -- After having the final two games of their four-game series against the Reds postponed, the Pirates worked out at Great American Ball Park on Sunday afternoon and headed home to Pittsburgh.

The Pirates will be back in action Tuesday night at PNC Park against Cleveland, as scheduled. They won’t be making up their postponed games on Monday, despite it being a mutual off-day with the Reds.

"Major League Baseball has decided, protocol-wise, that they did not want us to play Monday. What goes into that decision happens a lot higher than me,” manager Derek Shelton said via Zoom from Great American Ball Park on Sunday. “They just informed us that we're not going to play Monday and that we'll reschedule."

Shelton said the Pirates have not yet been told when they will make up those two games, but the schedule should allow for opportunities. The Reds will visit PNC Park for three games Sept. 4-6 with another mutual off-day on Sept. 7, and the Pirates will return to Cincinnati for another three-game set Sept. 14-16.

Major League Baseball postponed the final two games of this weekend’s series after it was revealed following Friday’s game that a Reds player had tested positive for COVID-19. Which Cincinnati player tested positive was not disclosed. MLB said Saturday’s and Sunday’s games were postponed to allow for further testing and contact tracing.

Shelton said the Pirates underwent COVID-19 testing on Saturday and Sunday, and that all their tests from Saturday came back negative. They were still awaiting Sunday’s results when Shelton met with the media.

Shelton said the Pirates anticipate having everyone available to play when they take the field on Tuesday night. Pittsburgh’s manager had not been apprised of Cincinnati’s testing results.

“The immediate reaction is obviously concern because of the fact that somebody has tested positive,” Shelton said. “Regardless of whether it’s one of your own players or somebody else, you’re concerned for that player and for their group. After that, you have to start to be aware of the contact that possibly is had among your group.”

This is the second time the Pirates’ schedule has been interrupted by another team’s positive tests. Last week, the Bucs had their three-game series against the Cardinals in St. Louis postponed and rescheduled for later this season. When they return to play Tuesday, they will have played only two games in eight days.

It has been a challenge to maintain a sense of normalcy amid all the uncertainty, Shelton admitted, but the Pirates have done what they can. They worked out last Tuesday and Wednesday at PNC Park before traveling to Cincinnati, and they worked out as a team Sunday before heading home. Some pitchers will throw at PNC Park on Monday to maintain their between-starts routines, but the rest of the club will be able to enjoy the scheduled day off.

Right-hander JT Brubaker will start Tuesday’s series opener. He’ll be followed on Wednesday by left-hander Steven Brault, who had been scheduled to start Saturday. Right-hander Trevor Williams, who pitched Thursday in Cincinnati, will start the final game of the series against Cleveland.

Veteran lefty Derek Holland, who was slated to pitch Sunday against the Reds, was pushed back to start later in the week, Shelton said.

Celebrating 100 years of the Negro Leagues
Major League Baseball celebrated the centennial of the founding of the Negro Leagues on Sunday, with all players, managers, coaches and umpires wearing a symbolic Negro Leagues 100th anniversary logo patch during games.

The Pirates were not able to honor the legacy of the Negro Leagues players on the field Sunday, nor were their broadcast partners at AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh able to promote the proud history of the Negro Leagues in the ways they had planned. But the Pirates used their social media channels to share their Long Live Their Legacy series, which documents the history of the Negro Leagues and their connection to Pittsburgh, which was once home to the Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh Crawfords.

Throughout this season, Pirates players and staff have been wearing T-shirts recognizing the 100-year anniversary of Negro Leagues Baseball, with a message on the back of each shirt that reads, “They played for us so we can.”

Shelton also recognized the Negro Leagues through his choice of attire during Sunday’s Zoom press conference: a Josh Gibson Foundation T-shirt that recognizes the centennial celebration. Shelton said he received the shirt from Sean Gibson, the great-grandson of Josh Gibson.

“By far the coolest shirt I’ve worn yet right here,” said Shelton, who dons a different T-shirt before every game to recognize charitable organizations in the Pittsburgh area. “This is a really sweet shirt, especially today as we’re honoring 100 years of the Negro Leagues.”