COVID-19 breaks out on Miami Marlins’ roster. Is MLB season already in jeopardy?
The 60-game MLB season made it only to its fourth day before the possibility of the season being stopped became a serious possibility.
The Miami Marlins have seen 11 players and two coaches test positive for COVID-19 the past two days, and two games Monday were postponed because of it.
The Marlins did not travel from Philadelphia to Miami to play the Baltimore Orioles, and the New York Yankees are not playing the Phillies while the visiting clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia undergoes a deep cleaning.
All Marlins and Phillies on-field and clubhouse personnel have been tested. MLB held a call with all 30 clubs Monday and decided to move forward with the season for now, but will make some enhancements to their safety protocols.
The Texas Rangers are scheduled to play a two-game series Tuesday and Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Globe Life Field before heading on a six-game road trip to San Francisco and Oakland on Friday.
“It sounds like there will be some additional communication as far as reiterating a lot of the basic protocols and best practices,” Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said. “I think we’ve been pretty good about them, so I don’t think there’s a lot that’s going to change for us there. But as far as the season is concerned, we are operating as though we’re playing Arizona the next couple of days and then we’re headed West to the Bay Area for a week.”
Among the many Marlins to test positive is Jorge Alfaro, the former Rangers prospect. He was one of four who missed Sunday’s game, including scheduled starting pitcher Jose Urena.
Seven more and the two coaches were flagged after the Marlins and Phillies played despite the four positive tests.
This story was originally published July 27, 2020 at 12:14 PM.
