A COVID-19 outbreak within the Miami Marlins is not a “nightmare” situation, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said Monday.
Manfred addressed the situation on the MLB Network after 14 Marlins players and staff tested positive for the virus, prompting the team to postpone the first game against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night.
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“I don’t put this in the nightmare category,” he said. “We don’t want any player to be exposed. It’s not a positive thing, but I don’t see it as a nightmare.”
He continued: “We created the protocols to allow us to continue playing. That is why we have expanded lists. That is why we have expanded groups of additional players. We believe we can keep people safe and keep playing. “
But perhaps Manfred spoke too soon.
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On Tuesday, The Athletic reported that four more players tested positive, bringing the total number to 17 positive cases.
The increasing number of cases could indicate problems for the Marlins, a problem that Manfred said would have to be addressed when it actually happens.
“A team that loses a number of players that made it completely uncompetitive would be a problem that we would have to address and think about making a change to, whether that would end part of a season, the entire season, that depends on the circumstances.” , said.
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He continued, “Same thing for the entire league. You get to a certain point in the entire league where it becomes a health threat and we would certainly close at that point.”
The team came under fire after it was revealed that they decided to play Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies, despite knowing that three players had tested positive.
