Baseball is finally back! Opening day 2020 lands in July—something none of us could have foreseen. Life has been a whirlwind ever since Spring Training was called off in March. Fortunately, Trey earned a spot on the 60-man roster and is now part of the Taxi Squad in Appleton, Wisconsin.
We are incredibly grateful to have baseball back in our lives! Many of our baseball friends are sitting out this year or joining independent league teams across the country. We count ourselves fortunate that Trey gets to play with the Brewers this summer.
Flashback to April: with so many unanswered questions about the season, Trey decided to make the 18-hour drive home alone. Normally, I would fly to Arizona and then to wherever he headed after Spring Training, but with flights scarce and COVID-19 still new, we agreed it was best for me to stay put. During his drive back to Texas, he called to describe how eerie the roads were—hardly a car in sight. Even in the sparse stretches of far West Texas, you'd usually see some traffic. Luckily, Trey made it home safely, and thanks to my family's property in the Texas Hill Country, he could break up the trip, making his first leg about 12 hours. After a few relaxing days there, we drove the remaining 4 hours home, where more months of uncertainty awaited.
Throughout April, May, and June, Trey worked out and threw daily to stay in shape, never knowing when the call would come that baseball was starting. Oh, how we treasured those extra three months together! It was uncharted territory for us—we'd never spent so much time together during those months. We celebrated our first Easter, anniversary, and Fourth of July as a couple! Much of that downtime was spent on the golf course or fishing in a tank. Trey certainly got his fill of fishing and golf!
Finally, at the end of June, the start of baseball was announced—what joy that brought us! They also confirmed that the Minor League season would be officially canceled, leaving us with even more questions about how baseball would work for us. Trey was on the AAA team and the 40-man roster… so who would actually play this year? In early July, Trey got the call to report to Milwaukee on July 15th for testing and quarantine, then head to Appleton for the rest of the season. He made the Taxi Squad! We were both thrilled that some form of baseball would happen for him this year. If you're unfamiliar, the Taxi Squad consists of extra players ready to step in for the big league team when needed.
Goodbyes are never easy, and they seem to get harder each time. But this farewell was short and exciting—about 11 weeks until Trey and I see each other again. We've done long-distance before, but not in nearly two years, so it will be tough. Still, it's always worth it because we know it's not forever.
Trey won't be in competitive games this year unless he gets called up to the big league team—and we're praying for that! He'll be playing intrasquad scrimmages and focusing on practice.
The baseball season looks vastly different this year, but hey—at least we have baseball!
