Jon Lester, Patrick Corbin, Kyle Schwarber Among 10 Nationals Placed on IL

The Washington Nationals placed 10 players on the injured list Tuesday amid a COVID-19 outbreak on the team.

Pitchers Patrick Corbin, Jon Lester, Brad Hand and Will Harris, catchers Yan Gomes and Alex Avila, first baseman Josh Bell, infielders Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer and outfielder Kyle Schwarber were added to the injured list Tuesday ahead of the team's season opener against the Atlanta Braves.

Washington's first four games of the 2021 season were postponed because of the outbreak.

"Position players haven't worked out in a week. And pitchers haven't thrown any competitive pitch in that same period of time. It's something that we're taking very seriously here. We're thinking of creative ways under the protocol and under the guidance to get these guys as ready as possible," Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo told reporters. 

"It makes a lot of sense for baseball, player protection-wise, to have these guys go through their paces in a full workout before we take the field."

The Nationals recalled seven players to their MLB roster Tuesday to deal with the losses across the team. Four players have tested positive for the virus, while seven are quarantining because of close contact.

The team also signed catcher Jonathan Lucroy to a contract. Lucroy will serve as their starting catcher Tuesday.