After multiple members of the Texas Rangers organization tested positive for COVID-19, some employees told ESPN that “They fear for their health and we hope that the organization allows employees to work from home after feeling the pressure to enter the office.” by Jeff Passan of ESPN. That’s a troubling revelation coming out of Texas and a reminder of the power employers give over their workers during this difficult time. The Rangers, of course, will have an opportunity to reevaluate their work-from-home policies in light of these positive tests, and hopefully they will. Given unemployment rates across the country, those with highly coveted positions within sports franchises are in a difficult position if they disagree with their employers in terms of preparing to return to work. None of the Rangers’ positive tests belonged to baseball players, coaches or staff, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Teams generally face less public scrutiny with how they handle non-baseball staff, so let’s see how a couple of other teams handle confirmed positive tests …
- the Milwaukee Brewers They are recently among those clubs with positive COVID-19 tests within the organization, writes Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Many of those who tested positive were asymptomatic, but apparently not all. It is unclear at this time whether those positive tests were from staff members or players. Regardless, the Brewers are moving forward, ready to bring in a group of 45 players to compete for the eventual roster of 30 players from the regular season. The rest of the 60-man roster will train at the team’s Class A facility in Appleton, Wisconsin. Players will face admission tests for COVID-19 when they arrive at the team’s facility.
- the Cleveland Indians The players tested positive at home, at the team’s facilities in Arizona and in the Dominican Republic, according to Zack Meisel of The Athletic. Team president Chris Antonetti says the cases have been isolated and there have been no large-scale outbreaks. Interestingly, some staff members have decided to stay out of the season, although no player within the organization has decided to abstain from playing. Clearly, the concerns are real across the league, and it’s up to the teams to work with their staff and players to make sure everyone feels safe before this truncated season. Players face the highest visibility, but there are obviously many more employees on each team who will face greater risk in the coming months now that baseball is making a comeback.
