The White Sox’ ‘‘Field of Dreams’’ game Aug. 13 against the Cardinals in the Iowa cornfields has been canceled, and that’s a bummer for reliever Aaron Bummer.
‘‘I’m sad,’’ Bummer said Monday. ‘‘It would be pretty awesome to be out there. I’m from Omaha, so I know family members and people in Nebraska were excited for that game to get some more baseball into the Midwest. But if that’s the safest decision, I’m completely on board with it. . . .
‘‘Hopefully we get to be a part of it next year.’’
Slated for Dyersville, Iowa, near the location of the ‘‘Field of Dreams’’ movie, the game was a home date on the Sox’ schedule and likely will be played at Guaranteed Rate Field. Aug. 14 is an open date, with the Cardinals scheduled to play the Sox on Aug. 15 and 16 in Chicago.
A temporary 8,000-seat stadium was under construction for the game. But asking players to make an extra trip during the coronavirus pandemic and taking additional logistical precautions was a lot to expect, especially of the Cardinals, whose scheduled four-game series against the Tigers in Detroit was postponed Monday.
The Cardinals have had 13 members of their organization test positive for the coronavirus in the last week — seven players and six staff members.
The ‘‘Field of Dreams’’ game might live to see another day, with the expectation of a game in 2021 featuring the Sox and an opponent to be determined.
Lambert’s season likely over
The Sox transferred right-hander Jimmy Lambert to the 45-day injured list. Lambert, who was coming off Tommy John surgery, was sidelined with a strained right forearm after only two appearances.
‘‘Right now, it’s just a forearm strain,’’ manager Rick Renteria said. ‘‘They believe with rest and treatment he’ll be able to rebound. It looked like it was going to be six weeks, so it made sense to go through the healing process. He’ll be re-evaluated at that point and see where he’s at.’’
Welcome back, Clayton Richard
The Sox signed left-hander Clayton Richard to a minor-league deal and assigned him to their training site in Schaumburg.
An eighth-round draft pick by the Sox in 2005, Richard appeared in 39 games for them in 2008 and 2009 before going to the Padres in the Jake Peavy trade. He posted a 5.96 ERA in 10 starts for the Blue Jays in 2019.
Short stint for Mercedes
To make room for outfielder Nomar Mazara on the 30-man roster, the Sox optioned catcher Yermin Mercedes to Schaumburg. Mercedes had been called up Friday, and he grounded out as a pinch hitter Sunday.
COVID concerns
Bummer, on concluding a three-city road trip in Milwaukee in the midst of a pandemic: ‘‘We’ve got a lot of trust in each other. And at the end of the day, we’ve got to trust ourselves and kind of put the team first for a bit.
‘‘Whether it means putting ourselves in a little bubble on the road, where we’re not really leaving the hotel or not really doing anything, those are all the things we’ve realized need to be done to keep the season going.’’