The 2020 MLB campaign just kicked off on July 23, and things are already a mess. According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, four more Miami Marlins players have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total to 17 positive tests for Marlins players, coaches and staff over the last five days.
Passan added that it “feels likely” that an infected Marlins player participated in their game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.
Miami's home opener against the Baltimore Orioles was cancelled on Monday night. The Marlins have remained in Philadelphia, where they played a three-game series over the weekend.
Because Philadelphia just played Miami, the Phils have postponed each of their last two scheduled games against the New York Yankees. Per Lindsey Adler of The Athletic, some Phillies players are still waiting for coronavirus test results.
On Monday, MLB managers expressed concern over the season, including Dave Martinez of the Washington Nationals:
“I’m going to be honest with you: I’m scared,” said Martinez, via Max Marcovitch and Dave Hyde of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “My level of concern went from about an eight to a 12. I mean, this thing really hits home now. I got guys in our clubhouse that are really concerned, as well.”
How the surge in positive cases within the Marlins organization affects the remainder of the season remains to be seen.
“We’re taking risks every day,” Miami manager Don Mattingly said on Sunday. “That’s what the players all around the league are doing. You travel all the time … it’s a risk that we take. We’re going to have to be adjustable, we’re going to have to be flexible, we’re going to have to be patient.”
The MLB has taken the least preventative measures out of the major sports, with the NBA opting to use a bubble system and the NHL utilizing hub cities for their respective returns.
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