According to an announcement from the organization, Bryan "Merc" Wrzek has tested positive for COVID-19 in routine pre-Major tests. He will not be able to participate in the Mexico Major per Ubisoft COVID-19 safety guidelines.
Owen "Pojoman" Mitura, the team's coach, will stand in for Merc at the event.
According to Merc, he has been battling the disease for "a week" now.
While losing a player of Merc's caliber is always a blow of some fashion, TSM is arguably the team best equipped to handle a positive COVID-19 test-based disqualification. Pojoman is a veteran of the competitive scene and was a long-time member of the DarkZero Esports roster. Pojoman moved to a coaching role after the Six Invitational 2020, at which TSM placed third.
TSM is considered one of the favorite teams to win the Mexico Major.
In the most recent NAL stage, Merc had notched a 0.99 SiegeGG Rating on the 'secondary entry' role. TSM had taken home second place on the stage while having Pojoman stand in for Emilio "Geo" Cuevas, who had been unable to compete for most of the stage due to complications with acquiring a visa.
It is currently unclear how the TSM roles will shift going forward, with Pojoman's roles having been more analogous to Geo's than Merc's.