New York Mets: Robinson Cano won’t disclose reason for absence

Robinson Cano finally returns to New York Mets camp after a week-long absence. Could he have tested positive for COVID-19?

Prior to the start of Summer Camp a few weeks back, the MLB and MLBA agreed that teams won’t be allowed to disclose whether a player tested positive for COVID-19 without their consent. So, naturally, you’d have imagine that fans were wondering what the reasons were for New York Mets infielder Robinson Cano‘s week-long absence.

Unfortunately, we still don’t have any answers and Cano wants to keep it that way. According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, “Cano says he doesn’t want to disclose why he was absent from camp.”

More from Call to the Pen

• Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
• Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
• Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
• Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
• 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals

However, Cano did tell reporters, “I went home (Dominican Republic)… I don’t know if you guys know; I do have my own field there where I trained every day and I had the chance to work there with my dad and be able to get my work in and stay in shape.”

Cano’s father, for those who don’t know, is Jose Cano, a former pitcher for the Houston Astros. Most of you probably remember the father-son duo’s incredible performance in the 2011 Home Run Derby, where Robinson won the competition.

Now, frankly, Robinson Cano is right; it isn’t any of our business why he was absent from Mets camp for that period of time. However, his refusal to disclose the reason for his absence will begin to raise questions and highlights the problem with the aforementioned agreement.

Cano was traded to the New York Mets prior to the 2019 MLB season along with reliever Edwin Diaz. Unfortunately, Cano failed to impress Mets fans, posting arguably his worst statistical season ever. His .265 AVG and .736 OPS were both career-lows for the 37-year-old slugger over $80M through 2023.

Cano also served an 80-game suspension just one year prior for violating the league’s drug policy. Was he still being tested while taking a brief hiatus back in the motherland?

These are the types of questions that this type of absence will begin to raise. There’s no shame in testing positive for COVID-19, so why keep it under wraps?