The Yankees spent most of the last two days sequestered in their Philadelphia hotel rooms, waiting for games against the Phillies that would not be played while Major League Baseball conducted additional COVID-19 testing.

A few of the pitchers wandered outside to play catch, but for the most part, the traveling party’s last 48 hours contained a mix of room service meals, gym visits and video games. Equipment bags were being loaded for a possible workout at Yankee Stadium, but when it was suggested that they instead could face the Orioles on Wednesday, the players jumped at the chance.

“We want to play,” said left-hander Zack Britton, the Yanks’ union player representative. “Our team has done a pretty good job overall of following the protocols. Our medical staff has done a great job. We felt like, we don't want to take three to four days off. If there's an opportunity for us to go to Baltimore and play, that's what we want to do.”

The Yankees altered their plans to travel via bus from Philadelphia to Baltimore, where they scheduled a workout under the lights on Tuesday evening at Camden Yards to prepare for Wednesday’s 7:35 p.m. ET game.

“We're in a world where no one has dealt with anything like this before,” general manager Brian Cashman said. “I think we all need to be pliable and be able to pivot and, at least, be open to adjust. I'm really proud of our organization thus far. … Our players voted to go to Baltimore. Their attitude is, ‘Tell us where and we'll be there.’ That’s a very powerful statement by them.”

Right-hander Gerrit Cole is scheduled to start Wednesday’s contest, followed by left-hander J.A. Happ in Thursday’s 7:35 p.m. ET game. The games are rescheduled from ones that would have been played on Aug. 3-4 at Baltimore; those dates are now dark on the Yanks’ calendar, pending rescheduling of the series against the Phillies.

“From a focus standpoint, we're in a good spot,” manager Aaron Boone said. “We'll be ready. We're going to go try and get a workout in at Camden Yards when we get in and start putting our best foot forward again. We’ll look forward to that opportunity to get back out on the field.”

Britton said that the events of the last two days, in which the Marlins and Phillies saw their seasons temporarily paused due to a coronavirus outbreak on Miami’s roster, have not altered his confidence level in terms of completing the season.

“We understood that there were going to be positive tests and there could be a team that had multiple positive tests like the Marlins,” Britton said. “The biggest thing is for us to continue following the protocols that we have in place. I feel like guys on our team are doing a good job. We can't control what's going on with other teams, but as long as we follow the rules, follow the protocols and take care of ourselves, I think that we can minimize our exposure.”

Pitching plans
The two postponements disrupted the Yankees’ pitching plan for this week. With Cole and Happ set to start the two games at Baltimore, the Yanks’ home opener will now take place on Friday against the Red Sox.

Right-hander Masahiro Tanaka is on schedule to start that game, having tossed 35-40 pitches in a simulated game on Sunday in Moosic, Pa. Tanaka’s season debut was delayed due to a concussion that he sustained on July 4.

Boone said that left-hander Jordan Montgomery will also start one of the games against the Red Sox. The initial plan had been to recall Montgomery during the series against the Phillies.

Moving parts
Upon arrival in Philadelphia, the Yanks had been reviewing a set of data and video on their iPads, engineered to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the Phillies' roster. A quick shift of opponents means several key cogs in the Yankees' front office are in for a late evening on Tuesday, Cashman said.

“That puts a lot of extra work on guys like our traveling secretary or baseball ops, in terms of swapping out the scouting assessments and advanced metrics on the Phillies versus the Orioles,” Cashman said. “They’ll rework all that stuff and get it all loaded on the iPads, and all these different issues, making sure our club is in a good spot.”

Waiting game
Aroldis Chapman remains on the COVID-19 injured list, though Cashman said that the left-hander is “doing well, given the circumstances.” Chapman must test negative twice at least 24 hours apart in order to rejoin the roster.

“When he's passed all the hurdles, you'll see him back as part of our group when he’s game-ready,” Cashman said. “I have no updates other than that.”

He said it
“We always try to be prepared for adversity. We know adversity is coming our way -- 2020 is unlike anything we've all experienced. We knew going into this, we were going to have to prepare for some uncomfortable situations, some difficult days.” -- Boone