Coronavirus cases force multiple MLB teams to close spring facilities
Multiple Major League Baseball teams have been forced to close their spring training complexes due to COVID-19.
Five Philadelphia Phillies players and three staff members tested positive for COVID-19 at the team's training facility in Clearwater, Florida, the club confirmed Friday in a press release obtained by Matt Gelb of The Athletic.
Phillies facilities will be indefinitely closed to all players, coaches, and staff until medical authorities say the outbreak is under control.
Houston Astros general manager James Click also announced that one Astros player who was working out at their complex in West Palm Beach, Florida, tested positive this week. The unidentified player is now recovering after experiencing moderate symptoms, and no other players tested positive, Click said, according to Todd Dybas of NBC Sports Washington.
The Astros share their West Palm Beach complex with the Washington Nationals. A few Nationals players are in the area, but their half of the complex has been closed since March, according to MASN's Mark Zuckerman.
The Nationals did confirm one minor-league player tested positive at their facility in the Dominican Republic, according to Howard Fendrich of The Associated Press.
The Toronto Blue Jays closed their spring training facilities in Dunedin, Florida, on Thursday after a player exhibited symptoms of COVID-19, a team spokesperson confirmed to Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic.
The Texas Rangers have closed their complex in Surprise, Arizona, for precautionary reasons. None of their players or staff have tested positive for COVID-19, according to TR Sullivan of MLB.com.
In Arizona, the San Francisco Giants closed their Scottsdale complex Friday after both a person who had been inside the facility and a family member "exhibited mild symptoms" of the virus and were subsequently tested, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic.
It was reported Friday night that Major League Baseball has closed all 30 spring training complexes in Florida and Arizona for deep cleaning and will not allow players or staff on site without first testing negative for COVID-19.
The identities of the Phillies players and staff members infected are unknown. The team's first positive test result came back Tuesday, June 16. The Phillies say they're waiting on tests or test results for 32 more players and personnel.
None of the people within the Phillies organization who have tested positive have been hospitalized, according to Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
The Blue Jays player is a pitcher on the 40-man roster who recently spent time with Phillies minor-league players, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan. The two teams' spring complexes sit 5 miles apart.
Out west, the Giants said that most of the people who have been inside their spring facility have also been tested for COVID-19. While some results are still pending, there have been no positive tests as of yet, according to Baggarly. It's unclear what role the person who exhibited symptoms in Scottsdale may play within the Giants organization.
Florida reported more than 3,800 new coronavirus cases Friday, setting a new single-day state record for the second day in a row, according to CNN. Cases also rose in Arizona, where a state-record 3,246 cases were reported on Friday, according to Alison Steinbach of the Arizona Republic.