Before umpires could tell Major League players to "play ball" and the shortened, fan-less season gets underway, 31 MLB players have tested positive for COVID-19. It remains unknown if the Dodgers were one of the teams affected. Workouts and "full baseball activities" start today, according to the league.
Of the 3,185 samples collected and tested, there were 38 positives: 1.2% of the total. That includes both players and office staff — seven of the positives were staff members. Major League Baseball and the pro sport's Players Association made the announcement in a joint statement Friday.
Nineteen out of 30 teams had one or more people who tested positive, but which teams and players remain unknown. Health privacy laws will keep fans guessing — though everyone will be watching the injured list to see potential candidates.
The MLB’s positivity rate is significantly lower than the nation’s as a whole, which is currently above 7% over the past week, according to Johns Hopkins University. California's own positivity rate is above 6% over the past two weeks. It compares to a 5.3% positivity rate among NBA players in early testing and a 2.7% positivity rate among Major League Soccer players.
The plan for MLB players is to have anyone who tests positive self-isolate immediately, then be treated according to protocols agreed upon by the league and the players union.
The news follows the announcement Friday morning that the MLB All-Star Game, which was supposed to be hosted by the Dodgers in Los Angeles, was officially cancelled. Next year's All-Star Game is already set for Atlanta, so the new plan is to bring the game back to L.A. in 2022. This year's shortened season starts in three weeks.
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