Marlins player who used team’s Jupiter facility in June tested positive for coronavirus
A Miami Marlins player who took part in individual workouts at the team’s spring training facility in Jupiter tested positive for the novel coronavirus, a source confirmed Thursday. It’s the first known case of a Marlins players testing positive
The player, who was not named, last used the team’s training complex at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in early June and did not have contact with other teammates while there. The player was asymptomatic at the time.
But the Marlins nevertheless become the latest team to have someone test positive, a revelation that is anticipated to become more widespread among the league when teams report for their second round of spring training next week.
The league temporarily shut down all spring training sites in Florida and Arizona after a wave of positive cases among teams surfaced over the past week with USA Today reporting that 40 players and staff members tested positive over the past week.
The Philadelphia Phillies have already had a dozen players and staff members test positive with all but one of those cases coming from their spring training complex in Clearwater. The Toronto Blue Jays had multiple players and staff members test positive at their spring training site in Dunedin, according to Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi.
Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila told reporters Wednesday that one player and one staff member tested positive and are “going through the process of recovery.”
The Denver Post reported that three Colorado Rockies players, including four-time All-Star Charlie Blackmon, tested positive.
The Houston Astros confirmed Friday a player who worked out at the team’s West Palm Beach training facility tested positive. He “experienced minor symptoms and is recovering well,” according to Astros general manager James Click.
The San Francisco Giants also had a player who visited their training complex in Scottsdale, Arizona, exhibit mild symptoms, according to The Athletic. Four members of the New York Yankees organization also reportedly tested positive, including two support staffers at their spring training site in Tampa and two others at a minor-league complex. The Yankees also previously had two minor-league players test positive in March.
South Florida radio host Craig Mish was the first to report specifics about the Marlins’ positive case.
According to the Major League Baseball’s operation manual for the 2020 season, which includes the safety and health protocols affiliated with COVID-19, any player who receives a positive test for the coronavirus must go into self-isolation until receiving clearance from the team physician and the joint COVID-19 Health and Safety Committee. Players who test positive are not allowed to travel with the team, use team facilities or have contact with team personnel until he has received consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart, has been symptom-free for at least 72 hours and completes an antibody test, among other requirements.
The Marlins and the rest of MLB will begin their second round of spring training on Wednesday ahead of what will be a 60-game season that starts July 23 and is being implemented by commissioner Rob Manfred. The schedule is expected to be announced in the next few days.
Teams can have up to 60 players participate in spring training. The final list of participants needs to be submitted to the league on Sunday. Those who don’t make the Opening Day roster, which starts at 30 players and will be cut to 26 after the first month of the shortened season, will serve as a taxi squad that is anticipated to be based at the team’s Jupiter training facility.
Players have to go through a screening process before being allowed to participate in any team activities.
This story was originally published June 25, 2020 at 10:55 AM.
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