All Nats personnel cleared, most were vaccinated today

Josh Bell tried to hit miniature Wiffle balls coming at him in all sorts of directions from a pitching machine. Kyle Schwarber used a virtual reality mask to take swings against simulated pitches only he could see. Both did whatever they could to follow their Nationals teammates through the season's first week while stuck at home in quarantine.

"It wasn't ideal," Schwarber said. "But you still have to make the best of your time. And I still wanted to make sure I was all the way in tune - I know the other guys were as well - all the way in tune with these games so that we're all going to be on the same page."

Schwarber said this from the Zoom room in the visitors' clubhouse at Busch Stadium, he and Bell and Josh Harrison finally with the Nationals in person and in the lineup for tonight's series opener against the Cardinals after missing the team's first six games while on the COVID-19-related injury list.

For all three players, there was a rush of emotions - relief, excitement, annoyance at what they had just gone through - upon learning they could fly from Washington to St. Louis this morning and suit up tonight.

"It was tough," Bell said. "But I feel like it's kind of part of the atmosphere right now. I wouldn't wish that on anybody, to not be able to debut with a team the way that they'd like to. But it happened, and here I am. I will say that it's good to be back."

Both Bell and Schwarber - the two players who spoke to reporters before the game, with Harrison expected to speak afterward - declined to answer questions about how they felt physically during the last week-plus, or whether they were nervous at any point about their health. (The Nationals have not publicly revealed which four players tested positive for COVID-19 out of the group of 11 that was initially placed into quarantine.)

Bell and Schwarber did detail the unusual lengths to which they tried to stay sharp during the unexpected layoff. Prevented from leaving their homes the entire time, they had to get creative.

Bell used a machine that hurled golf-sized Wiffle balls at him, creating unexpected movement in any direction and testing his ability to make contact. He insisted it's even tougher to have success in that drill than hitting an actual major league pitch.

"If I had to equate a batting average on that thing, I'm probably a .200 hitter," he said with a laugh. "When you actually do square it up, it's a good feeling. It makes baseball just a little bit easier. Hopefully, it's something that can keep me locked in during that time period."

Schwarber had a tee and net delivered to his house. He also utilized a virtual reality system he bought during the offseason to get the sensation of facing a live pitcher despite nobody else being in the room with him.

"Just put those things on and take simulated at-bats without even the bat in your hand," he said. "Just sitting in there, getting your stride, things like that."

The players officially learned Sunday they were cleared to leave quarantine. They flew to St. Louis together this morning and made it known they were ready to play ASAP.

"Without hesitation, all three of them said to put them in the lineup, that they were ready to go," manager Davey Martinez said.

Also cleared to leave quarantine Sunday was Jon Lester, though the veteran left-hander hasn't joined the club and hasn't been added to the active roster yet. Because of the time he missed, and the time he previously missed in spring training after having one of his parathyroid glands removed, Lester is being given a chance to build his arm back up before he makes his season debut.

Martinez said Lester is scheduled to throw off a bullpen mound Tuesday at the club's alternate training site in Fredericksburg, then a simulated game sometime after that. The team will then determine his next steps.

The good news: All 11 players (including two minor leaguers) and two staff members who were placed into quarantine before opening day have now been cleared and are participating in baseball activities.

And Martinez also revealed another bit of significant news: Most of the Nationals' traveling party (players and staff) received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine this morning at their St. Louis hotel. He described it as a "joint effort" between Major League Baseball and the Cardinals, who were able to acquire and administer the vaccine before the team would've been able to get it back in Washington.

Martinez couldn't provide an exact percentage of personnel that chose to receive the shot - MLB has permitted clubs with at least 85 percent herd immunity to relax the strict protocols that have been in place since last summer - but suggested a significant majority of them did get it. Whether anyone has any adverse side effects that hamper their ability to play in this series remains to be seen.

"You don't know the reactions the guys are gonna have. We'll know more in a few days," said Martinez, who said he's scheduled to receive the second dose of the vaccine he first received a few weeks ago after the team returns to D.C. "But for me, it's the safest way to go about it with this pandemic, seeing what everybody has been through, not only in MLB but all over the country and this world. We got offered it, guys stepped up and got vaccinated, and it was awesome."