Marlins Voted To Play After Initial Positive Covid Tests, Prior to Additional Cases

This morning ESPN baseball insider Jeff Passan reported that the Miami Marlins have eight more players that have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the team total to 14.

As of this pressing, the home opener against the Baltimore Orioles tonight has been cancelled. As has with the Yankees matchup with the Phillies, where the Bombers would have had to occupy the visiting locker room the Marlins just contaminated. The most important news of all is that Matt Breen for the Philadelphia Inquirer reports the Marlins were aware of three positive tests and held a player’s meeting to make the decision to play. 

After the reports, the Philadelphia Phillies organization immediately began testing and this clearly indicates a delicate time for Major League Baseball. The ability for the league to contain the virus from taking over numerous locker rooms will dictate the future of the short season. 

Marlins CEO Derek Jeter weighed in:

Positive COVID-19 tests were inevitable, but Major League Baseball’s ability to prevent a couple of positive tests from turning into a wildfire was the job at hand. The Miami Marlins did baseball fans to justice with their negligence, but all eyes now shift to the results out of Philadelphia. If their tests come back clean, all systems should be a go for the short season to stay alive.

Outkick’s Clay Travis weighed in how Major League Baseball should handle the news:

David Chao, MD, wrote for Outkick that the outbreak is not the overwhelming rather finding how it happened should be. Then rectifying that situation.

Regardless, fingers will be crossed for baseball to stay alive and bring some normalcy back to the country.