There is potentially very bad news for MLB fans.  Two games for Monday night have been cancelled due to positive tests of COVID-19.  Some sources reveal that 14 players and coaches on the Miami Marlins tested positive for the COVID-19 virus in a mini outbreak.  This is reason to be concerned about the upcoming games and even the future of the season.

COVID Outbreak At Miami Marlins

Unfortunately, the Marlins’ game opener with the Baltimore Orioles was cancelled, as well as Philadelphia Phillies’ game against the New York Yankees in Philadelphia, where the Marlins just played.

This decision was promptly taken in order to protect the rest of the players; however, it could be kind of late.  The league may have strong reasons to be concerned because the Marlins completed a game in Philadelphia, and seven players and two coaches tested positive for COVID-19, the outbreak seemed to have spread in all their clubhouse and increased the total number of cases to 14.

Reliable sources informed Jeff Passan and Jesse Rogers from ESPN about this situation.  This is something serious, and the MLB responded by postponing the games in Miami and Philadelphia.  In the meantime, the league will do more testing in order to protect its players, coaches and all staff involved.

MLB is implementing big efforts to face this unfortunate situation as the players’ safety is a priority.  The MLB said in a statement, “The members of the Marlins’ traveling party are self-quarantining in place while awaiting the outcome of those results.  Major League Baseball has been coordinating with the Major League Baseball Players Association; the Marlins; the Orioles; the Marlins’ weekend opponent, the Phillies; and Club medical staffs, and will continue to provide updates as appropriate.” The league is applying all the necessary steps to find the trace of the virus, and then avoid that more people get infected.  Therefore, there is no need to cancel more games as long as the situation doesn’t become worse.

The Marlins Have A Bleak Outlook

To make things worse, four Marlins players tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, and that included pitcher Jose Urena in the outbreak.  This situation might endanger the team’s situation and postpone more games and also suffer an outbreak within the team.  However, the team had decided to put Urena on the injured list even before the 2020 season restart.

It is worth mentioning that the Marlins played an exhibition match last Wednesday, so it is likely that the infections took place there.  The league will have to investigate further to determine how widespread the issue may be.

On the same matter, Marlins CEO Derek Jeter is deeply concerned about the COVID-19 situation, and he has shown responsible management of the outbreak affecting his team.  The virus outbreak mostly affected the Marlins, for now, and Jeter said in a report, “The health of our players and staff has been and will continue to be our primary focus as we navigate through these unchartered waters.

After a successful Spring 2.0, we have now experienced challenges once we went on the road and left Miami.  Postponing tonight’s home opener was the correct decision to ensure we take a collective pause and try to properly grasp the totality of this situation.” It is guaranteed that Jeter is doing all he can for his team’s wellbeing and the future of the league, as well.

MLB Plays COVID Clean-Up

Even though the league is taking all necessary safety actions, the virus does not seem to stop.  Sources informed ESPN’s Marly Rivera that, before the game between the Yankees and Phillies was put off, the visitors’ clubhouse had been disinfected many times, and on top of that the Yankees brought their own personnel from New York in order to assist them on the game. However, it is evident that all the precautions taken were not enough.

Some media reports have stated that COVID-19 can be contracted through the air, not necessarily by touching infected surfaces.