STL-MIL postponed; PHI, MIA skeds updated
The following is information on the recent positive test results in Major League Baseball:
St. Louis Cardinals: After two Cardinals players tested positive, the entire team was tested in Milwaukee yesterday using a rapid COVID-19 test and saliva samples also were sent to an MLB laboratory. The rapid tests indicated that one additional Cardinals player and multiple staff members may be positive. The results from the MLB PCR saliva tests will not be available until later in the day. Based on the results of the rapid tests conducted in Milwaukee, tonight’s scheduled game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Cardinals at Miller Park has been postponed. We will provide additional updates as information becomes available.
Philadelphia Phillies: The Phillies games this week had been postponed out of an abundance of caution because the team played the Miami Marlins, a Club which has experienced numerous COVID-19 positives. The last potential exposure of Phillies players and staff to the Marlins was on Sunday, July 26, and no Phillies players have tested positive for COVID-19. While three Phillies staff members have since tested positive, it appears that two of those individuals’ tests were false positives, and it is unclear if the third individual contracted COVID-19 from Marlins players and staff based on the timing of the positive test. The Phillies are scheduled to resume play against the Yankees in New York on Monday (details below).
Miami Marlins: The Marlins’ remaining players and staff have been quarantining in Philadelphia since Sunday and have not engaged in any baseball or other activities. The Marlins reported no new positive test results in yesterday’s collections. The current plan is for the Marlins to resume play against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday in Baltimore (details below).
Other Teams: There were no positives reported yesterday from any other MLB Club.
The Yankees and Phillies, who were originally scheduled to play four games against one another this past week, will play a four-game home-and-home series beginning with two games at Yankee Stadium on Monday, Aug. 3 and Tuesday, Aug. 4, followed by two games at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday, Aug. 5, and Thursday, Aug. 6. (all game times TBD).
The originally scheduled game between the Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Thursday, Aug. 6, will be rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on Saturday, Aug. 8. The remainder of their four-game series on Friday and Sunday will remain as scheduled.
The Marlins and Orioles, who were originally scheduled to play four games against one another this past week, will play a four-game series this week in Baltimore from Tuesday, Aug. 4 through Thursday, Aug. 6, with one day including a doubleheader (all game times TBD) and the Marlins serving as the home team for two games.
In addition, the originally scheduled games between the Phillies and Marlins from Aug. 4-6, as well as the originally scheduled game between the Yankees and Orioles on Aug. 5, will be rescheduled for a later date.
MLB will continue to follow a conservative approach in addressing positive test results because the health and safety of our players, employees and the public at large is paramount. We are in daily contact with the Players Association, public health officials, and our own medical experts in order to make decisions that will best protect individuals from being exposed to COVID-19. We will continue to provide further scheduling updates as necessary.