The Pirates will be one of 27 MLB teams to participate in a nationwide study that will test up to 10,000 people for COVID-19 antibodies.
It will be the largest coronavirus antibody study in the United States.
Employee volunteers in Pittsburgh and Bradenton, Fla. will help researchers gather needed information of how widespread the disease is in major metropolitan areas across the United States.
Jeff Passan was the first to write about MLB's involvement in the study, while Robert Murray reported three of the 30 MLB teams will not participate.
A team source confirmed to DK Pittsburgh Sports that the Pirates were taking part. The club has 400 test kits to distribute, with the study calling for one employee plus up to one household member to be tested.
The study is being run by Stanford University, USC and the Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory. The test will detect the prevalence of IgM and IgG, two antibodies the body creates to combat the virus. A positive test would confirm a person did in fact contract coronavirus, even if they were asymptomatic.
The goal of the study is to get a better sense of the virus' true infection rate by utilizing a nationwide sample.
While MLB teams are taking part in the test, Passan reports that doctors do not expect their participation will hasten the start of the regular season.
The Pirates have been on the forefront among MLB teams for trying to stop the spread of COVID-19. They deep cleaned their spring facilities in Bradenton multiple times in March, and the coaches and players who have remained in Bradenton during the shutdown have done strict social distancing.
