In Major League Baseball’s first round of coronavirus testing, 31 players tested positive for COVID-19, the league and players’ union announced Friday.
Along with the players, seven staff members also tested positive. The 38 positives represent 1.2% of 3,185 samples collected for the first set of results. For comparison, the NBA on June 26 reported a 5.3% rate of positive tests (16 of 302) among players, while MLS announced a positive rate of 2.7% (18 of 668) among players two days later.
The positives come from 19 MLB teams, the league said, as all 30 teams began training camp Friday at their home ballparks.
MLB will not be identifying who tests positive for the coronavirus, citing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Teams also will not specifically announce a COVID-19 injured list placement for a player who is removed from the club after testing positive, just an injured list trip.
If a player’s test is positive for COVID-19, he will be instructed to immediately self-isolate. He will be treated with protocols that are detailed in the operations manual that the league and union agreed to as part of the negotations that resulted in a 60-game 2020 season.
Cleveland Indians outfielder Delino DeShields Jr. was one player announced as testing positive Friday, according to Chris Antonetti, the team’s president of baseball operations.
The 2020 MLB season is set to begin July 23 or 24.
