Dusty Baker Shares Encouraging News on COVID Update

Updated: Sep 10, 5:00pm UTC

Over the weekend, it was announced that Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker tested positive for COVID-19. While you never want to see a well-respected bench boss getting sick, Baker's situation couldn't have come at a worse time with the Astros trying to build momentum ahead of the playoffs.

Fortunately, Baker had some encouraging news to share on Tuesday. The Astros manager told SportsTalk 790's Matt Thomas that he's feeling better and hopes to "be in the stadium and managing again before the weekend."

Dusty Baker COVID Update

Baker tested positive for COVID while the Astros were in Cleveland for a four-game series against the Guardians. Houston's manager told Thomas that he initially thought he was dealing with allergies before the Guardians' doctor suggested that he take a COVID test. The rest is history.

Nevertheless, it's great news that Baker expects to be back in the coming days. He coached the Astros all the way to the World Series last year and is poised to do it again as his club leads the AL West with a 70-40 record, 11.5 games ahead of the second-place Seattle Mariners.

Baker has helped the Astros remain as one of the top squads this MLB season. Though Houston's offense could be better (4.42 runs per game, No. 14), the club's 2.98 team ERA only trails the Los Angeles Dodgers (2.87).

The Astros have three-game series against the Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics coming up this week, leaving time to tell which matchup Baker will be back for. Whenever he does return, expect the Houston players to play their hearts out for their beloved manager.

Astros World Series Odds

The Astros hope that Baker can seamlessly transition back into his managerial duties in pursuit of a World Series title. For now, Houston owns the third-best odds (+420) to win the 2022 World Series, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.