NEW YORK (AP) – Thirty-one Major League Baseball players and seven staff members tested positive for COVID-19 during admission for resumption of training, a rate of 1.2%.
MLB and the players’ association announced the results on Friday when teams resumed training for the first time since the coronavirus interrupted spring training on March 12, two weeks before the season began. Opening day has restarted for July 23, the last in baseball history, and the regular season has been reduced to 60 games on the shortest calendar since 1878.
Positive tests occurred among 19 of the 30 teams, based on the results of samples sent to the Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory in South Jordan, Utah. There were 3,185 samples collected and tested during the first week of intake tests.
Individual players who test positive are not identified by MLB or the union. Cleveland outfielder Delino DeShields Jr. gave the Indians permission to say he tested positive.
“I think he is getting frustrated because he is starting to feel better and he wants to come back here,” said Indians manager Terry Francona. “He seems to feel a lot better, which is good news. There are only the protocols you have to follow and he will have to, and he understands it. “
MLB and the union established a COVID-19-related injury list with no specific minimum days. There are three specified reasons for placement in that IL: a positive test, exposure to the coronavirus, or symptoms requiring isolation or further evaluation.
Philadelphia put infielder Scott Kingery and pitchers Hector Neris, Ranger Suarez and Tommy Hunter in the 10-day IL with no specific injuries on Thursday. The Phillies had seven positive players for COVID-19 last month, but manager Joe Girardi was unable to respond if either player was among them due to medical privacy.
New Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said in a call from Boston that there was “some positive evidence,” but did not give a name.
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AP sports writer Tom Withers contributed to this report.
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