With multiple Marlins players and coaches testing positive for the coronavirus, the Yankees’ schedule has been inadvertently affected. But MLB has figured out how to deal with this first outbreak and those affected by it.
In an official announcement on Tuesday, the Yankees will now be traveling to Baltimore to face the Orioles on Wednesday and Thursday, while the Marlins and Phillies have their seasons temporarily paused. Miami won’t be playing until Monday, while Philadelphia must wait until Friday to play again.
“Given the current circumstances, MLB believes that it is most prudent to allow the Marlins time to focus on providing care for their players and planning their Baseball Operations for a resumption early next week,” the announcement read.
The Yankees were set to face the Phillies over their next four games in a home-and-home series, but following the Marlins news, their games on Monday and Tuesday were canceled. Since the Orioles were set to face the Marlins on Wednesday and Thursday, the league postponed those final two games against the Phillies, and will have the Yankees face their division rival instead.
The Athletic’s Jayson Stark is hearing that the Phillies and Yankees could make up their games next week.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman said Tuesday that it was an easy decision for the team to give the OK on playing in Baltimore.
“I got on the phone with [Aaron Boone] and asked 45 minutes before our bus is due to depart for New York, ‘What do you think if we instead pivoted and went to Baltimore and played some things down there?’ Again, everybody seems to be all in,” he told reporters. “I got on the phone with Zack Britton — same type of conversation, same type of results. We pulled his player union group and off we are.”
The league made sure to add that in “over 6,400 tests conducted since Friday, July 24th” there has been no new positive tests among any other club.
“The difficult circumstances of one Club reinforce the vital need to be diligent with the protocols in all ways, both on and off the field. We will continue to bolster our protocols and make any necessary adjustments. The realities of the virus still loom large, and we must operate with that in mind every day. We are confident that Clubs and players will act appropriately, for themselves and for others, and the data provides reason to believe that the protocols can work effectively,” the statement concluded.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].