Moustakas, Senzel return after appealing forced COVID-19 absences

Cincinnati Reds infielder Mike Moustakas and outfielder Nick Senzel have won an appeal after missing three games due to league-mandated absences over COVID-19 concerns, sources told The Athletic's C. Trent Rosecrans and Ken Rosenthal, and they're in the lineup on Wednesday.

Moustakas and Senzel filed an appeal to a panel of league and union representatives on Wednesday morning to get back on the field after both players tested negative for COVID-19.

They self-reported symptoms before Sunday's series finale against the Detroit Tigers. Neither has shown symptoms since and both recorded multiple negative tests, sources told Rosecrans and Rosenthal, who add that Moustakas believed he was dealing with food poisoning, while Senzel was fighting through a head cold.

The pair appeared to have satisfied the requirements in the league's operations manual to return to play, but they weren't allowed back while MLB continued to deal with the Miami Marlins' reported COVID-19 outbreak. In recent days, 18 Marlins coaches and players reportedly tested positive, forcing the postponement of several games.

The Reds, who came into the 2020 campaign with playoff aspirations after a busy offseason, had lost three straight games without Moustakas and Senzel in the lineup. They own a 1-4 record and are last in the NL Central.