MLB suspends spring training camps, allows players to go home
Major League Baseball and the MLBPA confirmed Friday that spring training camps will be suspended immediately as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Players will be permitted to stay in the area of the team's spring training facilities, travel to the club's home city, or head to their offseason homes, the league said in a release.
It's unclear when they'll return, though MLB will require a ramp-up period before it starts games, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.
The league delayed Opening Day by at least two weeks Thursday and canceled spring training games due to the virus.
Some MLB teams believed that keeping players together at camps would enhance the odds they would stay healthy, while other clubs argued that once somebody in a clubhouse became sick, then many others would, reports Buster Olney of ESPN.
With players being sent home, club sources consider an April 9 start date for the regular season unlikely, according to Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports.
Marly Rivera of ESPN reports that many major leaguers she spoke to believe the upcoming season won't start until at least May.
The MLB and MLBPA are discussing when players will be paid, sources told Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.