Miami Marlins

Members of the Miami Marlins who have tested positive for the coronavirus this week are reportedly going to travel back to Miami by bus.  

Per ESPN's Jesse Rogers, the Marlins are going to use "multiple sleeper buses" to send players and coaches from Philadelphia to Miami. 

Per Daniel Alvarez Montes of El Extra Base, 18 Marlins players have tested positive for the coronavirus this week. 

That brings the total number of positive tests for the Marlins up to 20, including two coaches. 

According to Jordan McPherson and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the bus trip is pending final approval from MLB's health officials and the remaining healthy players on the roster, 15 total, "are tentatively set to stay on the road to play the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards, the New York Mets at Citi Field and then the Toronto Blue Jays in Buffalo."

McPherson and Jackson added that the Marlins are likely to bring in a "new batch of players" to fill out their roster for those games, assuming they are able to be played. 

The Phillies announced on Thursday they have closed their facilities and postponed a weekend series against the Toronto Blue Jays after two staff members tested positive for COVID-19. 

The Marlins took two of three games against the Philadelphia Phillies in their season-opening series last weekend, but have remained in Philadelphia ever since in an attempt to contain the spread and undergo daily testing. 

 

Another Miami Marlins player has reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total to 18 players.

According to MLB Network's Jon Heyman, all 18 positive tests are for players on the Marlins' 30-man roster, meaning 60 percent of their players have contracted COVID-19.

Major League Baseball announced this week that it was pausing the Marlins' season through at least Sunday, so its previously scheduled series against the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals have been postponed.

The Marlins' positive tests have also impacted other teams, most notably the Philadelphia Phillies. The Marlins took two out of three games from the Phils in a season-opening series held in Philadelphia, but the Phillies haven't played since.

Their scheduled home-and-home series against the New York Yankees was postponed this week due to concerns that Phillies players and personnel were exposed to COVID-19.

On Thursday, the Phillies announced that while no players tested positive for COVID-19, one coach and one member of the home clubhouse staff did:

pic.twitter.com/gn4KitN4vu

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 30, 2020

As a result of the positive tests, the Phillies shut down all activities at Citizens Bank Ballpark and their scheduled weekend series against the Toronto Blue Jays was postponed.

While the Marlins' season is only officially paused through Monday as of now, it is difficult to envision their scheduled series against the Phillies taking place next week with both teams working through coronavirus-related issues.

If and when the Marlins do get back to playing, they will likely have to pull several players from their alternate training site due to the fact that such a large percentage of their active roster has COVID-19. The Marlins could look to sign some veteran free agents as well so as not to use up service time on some of their prospects.

The biggest issue related to Miami's postponements is the fact that there are very few off days scheduled for MLB teams this season during a condensed 60-game schedule. As a result, it will be difficult to make up games.

It may be possible through doubleheaders, but another option MLB may have to consider is basing the standings off winning percentage rather than record if not every team is able to play a full 60-game slate.

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Bleacher Report's David Gardner interviews athletes and other sports figures for the podcast How to Survive Without Sports.

Another Miami Marlins player has tested positive for COVID-19 amid the team's coronavirus outbreak following its season-opening series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the update Thursday as the club's total cases reached 19 (17 players and two coaches):

Another Marlins player has tested positive for COVID-19, but the team anticipated this result from its contact tracing, a source tells The Athletic. Latest positive case brings team totals to 17 players and two coaches, though one of the coaches has since tested negative.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 30, 2020

All Marlins games through Sunday have been postponed. It's a stretch that included four games against the Baltimore Orioles and three with the Washington Nationals.

Their next scheduled contest is Tuesday, which will start a three-game home series against the Phillies.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia has also been sidelined since the Marlins' string of positive tests. The latest update came earlier Thursday from Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo, who told reporters the team's weekend series in Philly has been postponed.

The Phillies four-game, home-and-home set with the New York Yankees this week was also postponed.

The Philadelphia Phillies have canceled workouts today after a coach and clubhouse attendant tested positive for coronavirus. Activities are shut down “until further notice,” according to the team.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 30, 2020

MLB hasn't provided a timetable for the clubs' return, and it's unclear whether the condensed 60-game schedule will have enough flexibility to make up all of the postponements.

Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a Monday interview on the MLB Network it's possible a team could be forced out of the season if it can no longer field a competitive lineup:

"I think that a team losing a number of players that rendered it completely non-competitive would be an issue that we would have to address and have to think about making a change. Whether that was shutting down a part of the season, the whole season, that depends on the circumstances. Same thing with respect to league-wide; you get to a certain point league-wide where it does become a health threat and we certainly would shut down at that point."

MLB play, which began last week, has otherwise continued leaguewide with 10 games scheduled for Thursday night.

MLB officials have begun investigating the source of the Miami Marlins' COVID-19 outbreak, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale. 

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported another Marlins player tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the organization's number of positive tests to 18 (16 players and two coaches). MLB suspended Miami's season through at least Sunday because of the outbreak.

Nightengale reported officials are now determining whether the Marlins violated any of the health and safety protocols laid out prior to the start of the regular season.

The Philadelphia Inquirer's Matt Breen reported that Marlins players were alerted Sunday that their teammates had tested positive for COVID-19. They proceeded with their series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies, winning 11-6.

Marlins manager Don Mattingly said shortstop Miguel Rojas helped organize a group chat on the matter, and Rojas explained that they never seriously considered not playing.

"That was never the mentality," Rojas said. "We knew that this would happen at some point. We came to the ballpark and we were ready to play. That was never our thought that we weren't going to play."

Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported Rojas is among the Marlins to test positive.

The Miami Herald's Jordan McPherson reported that Marlins players weren't solely responsible for the decision and a determination was made "through multiple factors, starting with Major League Baseball and trickling down to the teams."

Commissioner Rob Manfred also has the ability to unilaterally cancel or postpone a team's game or season in the event of an outbreak.

Other leagues have utilized restricted "bubbles" to house the necessary personnel and stage games.

Two teams pulled out of the MLS is Back tournament after multiple positive coronavirus tests. The approach has otherwise worked for the most part. The NBA announced Wednesday that none of the 344 players tested in Orlando, Florida, yielded a positive result.

MLB explored a "bubble" plan in the spring, which would have called for teams to be stationed in Phoenix and play their games in stadiums throughout the area.

Manfred told MLB Network on Monday (via ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr.) the league determined it presented too large a challenge: "The duration would have been much longer—the longer you go, the more people you have, the less likely it is that you can make the bubble work...I'm just not sure it was workable for us."

The potential problems with not adhering to the "bubble" blueprint were evident when MLB found itself combating its first COVID-19 outbreak less than a week after it opened the 2020 season.

The Miami Marlins are reportedly up to 16 positive COVID-19 cases among players in an outbreak that's temporarily halted their 2020 season.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the update Wednesday after the latest round of testing amid the coronavirus pandemic. Two coaches had also previously tested positive:

Another Marlins player has tested positive for COVID-19, sources tell The Athletic. Only positive result in most recent tests. Brings team total to 16 players and two coaches.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 29, 2020

All Marlins games through Sunday were postponed. The club was scheduled for a four-game, home-and-home series with the Baltimore Orioles followed by hosting the reigning World Series champion Washington Nationals for a three-game set beginning Friday.

Miami could resume play Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Marlins CEO Derek Jeter released a statement Monday after the team's home opener was called off:

"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. We have conducted another round of testing for our players and staff, and our team will all remain in Philadelphia pending the results of those tests, which we expect later today. We will provide additional information as soon as it becomes available."

Along with games involving the Marlins, the Philadelphia Phillies will be sidelined until at least Saturday after facing Miami in a season-opening series last weekend, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred appeared on the MLB Network on Monday to discuss the outbreak. He said the protocols "allow us to continue to play through those positives," but he added there could be a point where a certain team or the league as a whole could have to shut down:

"I think that a team losing a number of players that rendered it completely non-competitive would be an issue that we would have to address and have to think about making a change. Whether that was shutting down a part of the season, the whole season, that depends on the circumstances. Same thing with respect to league-wide; you get to a certain point league-wide where it does become a health threat and we certainly would shut down at that point."

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported no team other than the Marlins has registered a positive COVID-19 test since last Thursday, though.

The MLB season moves forward with 14 games on the Wednesday night schedule.

Major League Baseball has issued a statement about its COVID-19 test results in the wake of the outbreak that has affected the Miami Marlins. 

Per the statement, the Marlins are the only organization that has returned positive tests for on-field personnel in over 6,400 tests that have been administered since June 24:

MLB statement... pic.twitter.com/zJ681SwLsp

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 28, 2020

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported Tuesday that the Marlins had four new positive tests, bringing their total number up to 17 positives over the past five days. 

As a result, MLB announced it has postponed the Marlins schedule through Sunday, and "out of an abundance of caution," the Philadelphia Phillies' home-and-home series against the New York Yankees this week has been postponed. 

The Marlins played the Phillies in a three-game series in Philadelphia over the weekend. 

Per USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the Phillies haven't had any players or coaches return a positive test thus far.

The updated information comes four days after MLB announced a total of 99 positive cases from 32,640 tests administered since the testing program began earlier this month. 

 

Four more Miami Marlins players have reportedly received positive COVID-19 tests amid the club's outbreak.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the update Tuesday:

Marlins remain in Philadelphia. One of previous team members to test positive had a subsequent test come back negative, source says. Would need two negatives at least 24 hours apart to become eligible to return. https://t.co/EG0HkVib9P

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 28, 2020

The Marlins had at least 14 known coronavirus cases among players and coaches as of Monday, per ESPN's Jeff Passan and Jesse Rogers.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said during an appearance on MLB Network on Monday he was hopeful the Marlins could return to action by Wednesday or Thursday. He noted a meeting with league owners didn't contain any discussion about halting the season:

"We talked about the situation. I think most of the owners realize that we built protocols anticipating that we would have positive tests at some point during the season, that the protocols were built in order to allow us to continue to play through those positives. I think there was support for the notion that we believe that the protocols are adequate to keep our players safe."

Along with the Marlins and Baltimore Orioles, the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies had their Monday and Tuesday games postponed. The Phillies played against Miami over the weekend.

Marlins CEO Derek Jeter released a statement Monday:

"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. We have conducted another round of testing for our players and staff, and our team will all remain in Philadelphia pending the results of those tests, which we expect later today. We will provide additional information as soon as it becomes available."

Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported the Marlins could have trouble filling out their 30-man roster as a result of the high number of positive tests:

Marlins may have hard time filling out 30-man active roster considering their outbreak of positives. Currently trying to figure out how to make it work since many candidates for callup are currently are not on 40-man. Might — might — have to consider playing with less than 30.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 28, 2020

Miami was scheduled to play Baltimore at home Monday and Tuesday before traveling north to face the O's on the road Wednesday and Thursday. The Marlins are slated to return home Friday for six games, three each against the Phillies and Washington Nationals.

It's unclear when the club will resume play and whether the condensed 60-game regular-season schedule will leave enough time for all postponed games to take place if there's an extended pause.

Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday the 2020 MLB season may be in "danger" after an outbreak involving the Miami Marlins led to over a dozen positive COVID-19 tests.

Steven Wine of the Associated Press provided comments Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, made about the situation on ABC's Good Morning America.

"This could put it in danger," Fauci said. "I don't believe they need to stop, but we just need to follow this and see what happens with other teams on a day-by-day basis."

Here's a look at the full interview (Marlins discussion begins at 4:20):

.@ABC NEWS EXCLUSIVE: Dr. Anthony Fauci speaks to @GStephanopoulos about his response to Pres. Trump’s tweets, how states can avoid COVID-19 surges and why he is “cautiously optimistic” about a vaccine. https://t.co/JgCvhTifYS pic.twitter.com/BOcoCbyrqa

— Good Morning America (@GMA) July 28, 2020

Fauci helped kick off the 2020 season by throwing out the first pitch before the reigning World Series champion Washington Nationals hosted the New York Yankees last Thursday.

"Major League Baseball—the players, the owners, the managers—have put a lot of effort into getting together and putting protocols that we feel would work," he said Tuesday on GMA. "It's very unfortunate what happened with the Miami [Marlins]."

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred explained during an appearance on the MLB Network he was hopeful the Marlins could be back on the field within a few days.

"We're waiting to see exactly what we get in terms of test results before we make a decision," he said Monday. "Right now, the only thing that's firm is if the test results result in negatives for the rest of the [Marlins], we would play at least two in Baltimore on Wednesday and Thursday."

Manfred said the league's COVID-19 protocols "allow us to continue to play through those positives," which they expected to pop up throughout the 60-game season amid the coronavirus pandemic.

He added that trying to utilize the "bubble" format being used by the NBA and NHL to resume their seasons wasn't a realistic option for MLB.

"I think the decision that we made with respect to the bubble was the right one. We're different than other sports," Manfred said on the MLB Network. "... I think the NBA and the NHL have an advantage of smaller numbers of players, shorter period of time; I understand why they did what they did. I'm just not sure it was workable for us."

Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels agreed with that sentiment Monday during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan Radio in Dallas.

"I don't think it would work [because of the size of it]," Daniels said. "In basketball, the size of the roster and the number of people is so much smaller. To have enough players, to have a backup for normal injuries, not even COVID, necessarily. And the number of staff. ... I just think, logistically, it was just too big of an operation. We looked at it originally, and I was a little skeptical that we would pull it off."

Along with the Marlins' game against the Orioles, the clash between the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies was also postponed Monday. The Phillies played against Miami over the weekend.

The MLB regular season is slated to run through Sept. 27 if everything remains on schedule.

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Bleacher Report's David Gardner interviews athletes and other sports figures for the podcast How to Survive Without Sports.

Despite knowing multiple players had tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Miami Marlins players decided via group text messages they would play.

Manager Don Mattingly said infielder Miguel Rojas led the group text. 

"He's kind of an unofficial team captain of our club," Mattingly said, per Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "He's always texting the group and getting the feelings of the group. So when we're dealing with situations or things, that's usually who we're working through."

Rojas said the Marlins never considered opting out of the game.

“That was never the mentality,” Rojas said. “We knew that this would happen at some point. We came to the ballpark and we were ready to play. That was never our thought that we weren’t going to play.”

Major League Baseball postponed Miami's scheduled home opener Monday against the Baltimore Orioles after at least 14 team members (12 players, two coaches) tested positive for COVID-19. All of those players and coaches were positive for COVID for Sunday's game; 10 of those people were at the ballpark, potentially putting members of the Phillies at risk. 

MLB also postponed Monday's scheduled game between the Phillies and New York Yankees as they await test results. The Phillies have quarantined members of their visiting dugout staff as they await test results as well.

That the Marlins chose to play Sunday was irresponsible, at best. If the Phillies suffer a similar outbreak, they would be understandably be angered to be placed in harm's way. The situation also speaks poorly of MLB management, which should have stepped in and taken control of the matter rather than leaving the decision up to a player group text.

Less than a week into the 2020 MLB season, a COVID-19 outbreak among Miami Marlins players and staff has resulted in the postponement of their home opener against the Baltimore Orioles.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic shared the statement from Major League Baseball confirming the decision, along with the postponement of the New York Yankees' game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Statement from MLB pic.twitter.com/nP1xvOe8hU

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 27, 2020

Jeff Passan and Jesse Rogers of ESPN first reported eight more players and two coaches have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the team's total to at least 14.

The team remains in Philadelphia, where it will undergo further testing. Players and coaches who tested positive will be placed into quarantine until they have two negative tests at least 24 hours apart.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred spoke on the matter on ESPN on Monday night. Manfred said the two Orioles-Marlins games scheduled to be played in Miami on Monday and Tuesday would not be played. If the Marlins produce "acceptable" test results, they will return to action in Baltimore on Wednesday.

Manfred did not say whether Monday and Tuesday's postponed games would be rescheduled to be played in Baltimore, only saying that the Marlins and Orioles would play "at least two" games in Baltimore this week—pending test results.

Marlins CEO Derek Jeter later released a statement about the postponement:

pic.twitter.com/kLfBiic706

— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) July 27, 2020

Passan later reported the Orioles are returning to Baltimore on Monday night "ensuring Tuesday's game won't be played at Marlins Park, either." Passan added "at some point" the Marlins are expected to travel to Baltimore for games that are currently scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.

According to Jayson Stark and Rosenthal of The Athletic: "There are no specific standards within the health and safety protocols that trigger the shutdown of a team or all teams. That decision is solely in the hands of commissioner Rob Manfred."

The commissioner has the power to suspend or cancel the 2020 season should an outbreak create a disruption in competitive balance.

Matt Gelb of The Athletic reported the Phillies are quarantining their visiting clubhouse staff. The Yankees traveled with their own clubhouse staff for the scheduled series.

Discussions about whether to play Yankees-Phillies game are ongoing. Not canceled yet but seems like strong chance it will be. Phillies players aren’t reporting symptoms but they are awaiting test results (as of now they’ve had no positives since some on intake)

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 27, 2020

While the swiftness of the outbreak may come as a surprise, MLB's plan for the 2020 season always carried significant risks. By allowing players to travel by air, stay in hotels and interact with the general public—to essentially move forward as if this were a normal season—MLB was all but guaranteeing several employees would test positive throughout the year.

The Marlins' outbreak provides a stark contrast to what is being done by the NBA, which has seen zero positive tests among players since sequestering them in a "bubble" in Orlando, Florida.

MLB's rapid descent from Opening Day joy to fear of an outbreak that forces the season's cancellation may provide an example for the NFL, which is also planning its 2020 season without a so-called bubble.