The Miami Marlins, after a No. 18 player tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, are obtaining multiple sleeper buses to take infected players and coaches from Philadelphia to Miami, sources told ESPN’s Jesse Rogers on Friday.
In total, the Marlins have had 18 players, of the 33 who traveled with the team, and two coaches tested positive in the past eight days, sources confirmed to ESPN. All games for the team have been postponed until Sunday by Major League Baseball.
Extra Base was the first to report the new positive test on Friday.
While the coronavirus players and coaches are being transported to Miami, the rest of the team will remain in Philadelphia, where the Marlins played last weekend and have undergone daily testing.
The prospect of the team’s season restarting at home on Tuesday against the Phillies remains questionable.
If the Marlins play that series in Philadelphia, they could travel by bus to New York to face the Mets, and then by bus to Buffalo, New York, where the Blue Jays plan to play their home games this season. In that scenario, the Marlins would not return home until their Aug. 14 series against Atlanta, although Miami-Dade County currently requires a 14-day quarantine for people entering the area from New York, which further complicates matters. things.
Miami could make up for the three games against Washington that have been postponed this weekend by scheduling two double heads during future series and playing on their shared day off on September 17. Regaining the lost four games against Baltimore, an interleague opponent, could be tricky, leading to the possibility that the Marlins won’t play a full 60-game schedule.
The Marlins are evaluating how to complete a roster with a mix of players: those already in the organization and training at their alternate site in Jupiter, Florida; free agents; and wire exemption claims.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan contributed to this report.
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