Yet another curveball has been thrown into 2020’s already truncated baseball season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Major League Baseball is reportedly holding an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss plans for the rest of the shortened 2020 season, following the postponement of the Miami Marlins’ home opener after more than a dozen members of the organization tested positive for COVID-19.
According to ESPN on Monday, in addition to the Marlins’ home opener against the Baltimore Orioles being called off, the Philadelphia Phillies’ home game against the New York Yankees has been canceled as well.
ESPN reported that shortly after the Marlins completed a series in Philadelphia, seven more players and two coaches with the Marlins tested positive for the coronavirus. The outbreak has reportedly spread throughout the Marlins’ clubhouse, bringing total coronavirus cases to at least 13.
In a statement on Monday, the MLB said that members of the Marlins’ who were on the road are self-quarantining as they await results from COVID-19 testing. The league also said that it’s coordinating with the MLB Players Association; the Marlins; the Orioles; the Marlins’ weekend opponent, the Phillies; and Club medical staffs as it works to “provide updates as appropriate.”
Marlins CEO Derek Jeter also acknowledged in a statement on Monday that the team is focused on the health of players and staff as it navigates “unchartered waters.” Jeter added that postponing the team’s home opener was “the correct decision to ensure we take a collective pause and try to properly grasp the totality of this situation.”
News of the Marlins’ coronavirus outbreak comes amid Florida becoming a hot spot. On Monday, Florida’s Department of Health reported 8,892 new coronavirus cases in a single day. Florida currently has 432,747 confirmed COVID-19 cases.
