Derek Dietrich will celebrate his 31st birthday on Saturday and said that he is truly in the best shape of his life.
It is a reason that Covid virus had a minor effect on his body.
"I was working out and I felt some fatigue that was unusual but I didn't have any other symptoms." Dietrich said shortly after the Reds announced he was back with the team. The roster is now at 58.
His arrival ends the mystery of his absence. Dietrich, who surprised everyone by hitting 17 home runs the first half of 2019, invested in workout equipment for his home. He claims he can do damage with one hand.
"You guys saw me last year swinging with one hand," Dietrich joked. He suffered a bum shoulder which drastically slowed his production in the latter half of the season.
In addition to the workouts, his experience with Covid has made him mentally stronger.
"It changed my way of thinking," Dietrich said. "It humbled me and motivated me. I have empathy for anyone dealing with this because it sucks. It really does. I didn't have symptoms but just knowing and thinking well who was I around. This isn't about you. A lot of people are dealing with this. It is real. It is very real."
Dietrich was in Goodyear and planned to workout at the Reds facility voluntarily when baseball shut down spring training.
"The Reds tested me since I was participating in voluntary workouts at their facility in Goodyear, Arizona," Dietrich said. "I talked to a lot of people about it and doing research. I talked to people that had it and doctors who treated it. There was a day about a month ago when I was more tired than the norm. Otherwise I would not have known I had it, if I hadn't been tested. I know a lot of people have serious symptoms. My heart goes out to all of them."
It took a while for the Reds infielder to get clearance
"It took a long time to get clearance. I took longer than I expected," Dietrich said. "There were two saliva tests and an antibody test. I had to get clearance after a full physical, respiratory, EKG. It's good Major League Baseball is doing all it can to keep players safe."
His isolation prevented the virus from spreading to his family. Reds trainer Steve Bauman helped Dietrich to eventually be cleared.
"I isolated myself from my mother, my father and my 80 something year old grandmother. That was first and foremost. They are all healthy. I'm blessed the Reds helped me every step of the way through this. I'm just one player and Steve Bauman did everything he could with all that was going on to get me cleared."
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