Major League Baseball on Sunday morning announced that the Giants player who was thought to have contracted the coronavirus earlier this week instead recorded a false positive, clearing the way for San Francisco to play a doubleheader with the San Diego Padres at Petco Park today.

The Giants and Padres will start the first game at 1:10 p.m.

“The MLB-MLBPA Joint Committee, in conjunction with each team’s medical staff, reviews all positive COVID-19 tests on an individual basis to determine how each case should be handled in order to ensure the health and safety of the players and Club personnel,” a statement from MLB said. “Following a careful review of all of the details presented in the particular case regarding a San Francisco Giants player that led to the postponements of their road games in San Diego on Friday and Saturday, the committee has determined that the presumptive positive did not represent an actual infection or present a risk to other personnel.

“As a result, the Giants and the Padres have been scheduled for a doubleheader at Petco Park today, beginning at 1:10 p.m. (PT).”

A date has not yet been announced for the game the Giants and Padres will still have to make up from the three-game series they were supposed to play this weekend. The two teams play a three-game series at Oracle Park from Sept. 25-27 to close the regular season, and it is possible that a double-header will be played on one of those days.

There have been 45 major league games postponed this season because of coronavirus concerns.

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Johnny Cueto will be the Giants’ starting pitcher for the first game today. Logan Webb was originally supposed to start today, but according to the Giants’ website, he will now pitch Tuesday in Seattle. For the first game, the Padres are starting Mike Clevinger.

The Giants will have Justin Smoak in their lineup as he makes his San Francisco debut. Smoak, who was picked up by the Giants on Wednesday, will be the designated hitter and hit sixth.

The Padres (29-17) enter the day in second place in the National League West, three games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Giants (23-22) are third in the division but are in a wild card playoff position.

A positive COVID-19 test within the Giants organization Friday forced the immediate postponements of two games scheduled for Friday night and Saturday. However, USA Today reported a Giants player who tested positive Friday had subsequently tested negative on Saturday.

The Giants were required to self-isolate in their San Diego hotel rooms across from Petco Park with no knowledge of whether they should be preparing for a potential Sunday doubleheader or additional days of quarantine.

No other member of the Giants traveling party had tested positive for the novel coronavirus in San Diego and the organization has not had any other positive test results since the initial intake process at the beginning of summer camp in July.

Staff writer Kerry Crowley contributed to this story. Please check back for updates. 

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