5 Phillies Players Test Positive For COVID

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Several Phillies players have tested positive for the coronavirus, the team announced Friday, throwing a wrench into preparations for a potential 2020 season.

The team shut down its spring training facility in Clearwater, Florida, after receiving the positive tests back on five players and three staff members.

Meanwhile, 20 more players and 12 more staff members living in the Clearwater area are being tested and are awaiting results. The players and staff tested include both minor and major league players and personnel. None required hospitalization.

The players and staff members who tested positive have not been identified by name. The first confirmed case was discovered Tuesday. Multiple family members of the players have been infected, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Scott Lauber.

"The Phillies are committed to the health and welfare of our players, coaches and staff as our highest priority," managing partner of the organization, John Middleton, said in a statement.

The facility will remain closed indefinitely until it can be disinfected and "medical authorities are confident that the virus is under control," Middleton said.

The club also declined to comment on what ramifications these tests would have for the 2020 season. "It is too early to know," the team said in a statement.

But there's also no telling when the facility will be reopened, or if it is realistic to expect that the remaining Phillies could be prepared for a proposed mid-to-late July season start if their spring training is cut short. The virus managed to spread despite the team limiting group sizes and taking numerous precautions.

While MLB and the MLB Players Union have been in fraught talks for weeks about a potential 2020 season, the two sides seemed to turn a corner over the past several days, expressing confidence an agreement could be reached.

The proposed season would be about 60 games, and 16 teams would make the playoffs. In addition, the designated hitter would be in place in the National League in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons. No fans would be allowed in stadiums, at least to start, and games would be played only against teams in the local area to minimize travel and spread of the virus.

The occurrence of positive tests, however, has been a concern from the beginning. The Toronto Blue Jays also shut down their spring training facility Friday after a player showed symptoms; and both the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning and NFL's San Francisco 49ers are dealing with positive tests in their respective training camps.

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