As the MLB season has gone on and cases of COVID-19 among players remain, alarmingly, relatively steady, it appears that there may be some shady activity going on in the league's commissioner office and beyond. According to Boston Red Sox outfielder Hunter Renfroe, the league asked Red Sox players to stop receiving COVID tests when they had symptoms of the infectious disease, and to attempt to treat the symptoms to get over it as quickly as possible. The news came via Lou Merloni, a baseball analyst and show host for WEEI:

On the contrary, an MLB spokesperson stated: “He (Renfroe) is completely wrong and inaccurate.”

If confirmed to be true, this would be the icing on the cake for what has been a string of bad PR for the MLB in recent years. In the wake of the Houston Astros 2017 cheating scandal, in which the punishment was received with much ire, the poor living conditions for minor league players, and the negotiation disputes between the MLBPA and owners, breaking COVID protocols for the sake of keeping players on the field and positive tests down would put Rob Manfred and Co. in serious hot water.

Renfroe also said,

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“We have been following MLB’s COVID-19 protocols all season long. We have consulted closely with them on everything we’ve done and continue to test and their medical staff has been very supportive.”

It seems that, for the most part, Renfroe's criticism is aimed at the MLB's highest level of officials – the ones in charge of PR.

The Red Sox would be a likely target for keeping COVID rumors under wraps, as they recently had a mass breakout of infections. Xander Bogaerts, Matt Barnes, Hirokazu Sawamura, Yairo Muñoz, Jarren Duran, and more all tested positive and have had to take time off to quarantine within the last two weeks.

As this ugly saga unfolds, we can only hope the MLB acts in good faith regarding COVID-19 and all other matters moving forward.