Rob Manfred: No Quit for Remainder of the Season

With more and more positive coronavirus cases coming up, the MLB commissioner says, there is no reason to quit the remainder of the season. Throughout the MLB clubs there have been multiple coronavirus cases, quitting won’t be considered and the season would continue as planned (of course with tweaks required as would be the case). Despite several positive cases having been detected through the Miami Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals, and Philadelphia Phillies the league will not consider quitting it out. Manfred said “We are playing. I am not a quitter in general, and there is no reason to quit now. We have had to be fluid, but it is manageable.”

Coronavirus Tests & Test Results.

With tests administered last week for the St. Louis Cardinals and two players testing positive, there are chances there could be another positive case in the team. With positive tests coming up, the game to be held at Milwaukee, the scheduled Cardinals game, there are chances of postponement. Apart from that, since last weekend, the Marlins and Phillies haven’t played the season-opening series in Philadelphia.

Milwaukee outfielder Lorenzo Cain, in line with these speculations and an increasing number of coronavirus cases, revealed that he is not going to sit out for more games in the MLB 2020. He was the first Brewers player who sat out during the season. In a statement, he said, "After careful consideration and discussion with my family, I have decided to opt-out of the remainder of the 2020 season. With all the uncertainty and unknowns surrounding our game at this time, I feel that this is the best decision for me, my wife, and our three kids."David Stearns, the Brewers president of baseball operations said that his decision will be "fully supported" by the team.

The Phillies & Yankees will be playing four games in a row. As a part of a doubleheader, a Yankee game will be played at Tampa Bay. The Orioles & Marlins, from August 4 through August 6, will be making for the four postponed games. Other games between the Yankees and Orioles & the Phillies and Marlins will be played at some rescheduled dates, which have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The MLB Players’ Association Stance.

Earlier the MLB commissioner had told Tony Clark, the Players Association executive director there could be possibilities of shutting down the season if the coronavirus cases do not improve. Many players confronted that the season may have come to a halt if the positive COVID-19 cases continue in a similar way. After the weekend series against the Phillies, as many as 18 marlin players & two coaches have been tested positive for coronavirus. The scheduled game for Miami's game was postponed which was replaced by the games slated to be played by the Yankees, Orioles, and Blue Jays. After this, the staff members of Phillies were also tested positive for coronavirus.

After a slew of positive coronavirus cases, many players have announced that they are opting out from the rest of the season. This list included Isan Díaz, Marlins second baseman & Brewers outfielder Lorenzo Cain who has now announced he is not going to sit anymore. In the next few days, the MLB will be coming up with a revised outbreak of the remainder of the season adhering to the health and safety protocols.