(SportsRadio 610) -- Whether Astros general manager James Click feels good about the Major League Baseball season making it through 60 games depends on the day.
On some days, the Astros get to play simulated intrasquad games, highlighting their wealth of talent both famous and unknown.
Other days, a summer camp session gets canceled, or a superstar like Alex Bregman can't participate because of a delayed test result.
If the first 10 days of camp taught the Astros anything, it's to expect the unexpected.
There is no way for them to have predicted test results would arrive late. And they could not have known a staff member's possible contact with the virus would keep the major league pitchers and pitching coaches away from Minute Maid Park on Sunday.
"Having gone through a couple of these fire drills, I guess is the best analogy, it makes me have a lot more faith in the protocols that we have in place because we have gone through them," Click said Monday during a video conference call. "We've kind of worked out some of the things that we didn't expect. We've had a lot of conversations about possibilities that I don't think anybody really contemplated until you actually end up in that situation.
"So, it's obviously better to go through these things during summer camp than it is during the regular season."
Major questions are how testing delays and potential exposure to the virus will be handled during the regular season, which for the Astros begins July 24 against the Seattle Mariners at Minute Maid Park.
What if the players, who are supposed to be tested for COVID-19 every other day, are not receiving results in time for a game? Or if a staff member might have been exposed to the virus, but was definitely around a particular group of players, who then might have been in close contact with other players or staffers?
Pandora's box is a logistical and administrative nightmare.
"I don't think it's lost on any of us, the logistical heft of this entire operation, the number of teams, the number of different cities, the number of different hoops that you have to jump through in order to get all of these things done. And inevitably there are going to be some hiccups and some speed bumps when you're trying to create a new system on the fly and in short order.
"That said, having gone through a couple of these, you make the mistake once and hopefully you don't make it again. And hopefully there will be fewer hiccups going forward."
There have been conversations about having tests expedited through Major League Baseball, and Houston is unique in being home to the world's largest medical center.
The Astros would like to exhaust its resources within MLB, with the priority of Houston citizens' health in its proper context.
Click said the Astros and their doctors are exploring the local capacity for testing if they need it.
"By and large, we would like to rely on MLB's infrastructure as much as we possibly can," Click said.
Every team wants quick results, and Click said there has been no clarity from the league on how a team jumps the line.
"That's something that we're working with Major League Baseball on," Click said. "I think a lot of teams want their results expedited and the problem is that if you cut to the front of the line, obviously somebody else moves to the back. So we're going to work with MLB on how that works. They are aware that there are likely going to be situations where some teams may require their test results a little bit sooner than others. But at the same, all 30 teams are going through this together. We all have to keep all of our players safe.
"And the idea that one team could cut to the front of the line, I don't think that's something that I've gotten a clear answer on."
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