Four more members of the Miami Marlins have tested positive for the coronavirus after the latest round of testing, sources familiar with the situation confirmed to ESPN.
That Marlins have now had 17 people test positive in the past five days. On Monday, the total of confirmed cases stood at 11 players and two coaches.
News of the latest positive tests was first reported by the Athletic.
Their outbreak continued to disrupt Major League Baseball’s schedule Tuesday, the sixth day of the pandemic-delayed season, with the Marlins’ home game against Baltimore postponed.
Monday’s game between the Marlins and Orioles was also called off, as was the New York Yankees‘ series opener Monday and Tuesday at Philadelphia, where New York would have been in the same clubhouse the Marlins used last weekend.
The Orioles, who made a trip to Miami without playing a game, are scheduled to host the Marlins in a two-game series starting Wednesday.
The Marlins placed infielder Garrett Cooper, outfielder Harold Ramirez and right-hander Jose Urena on the injured list. They claimed right-hander Justin Shafer and left-hander Josh Smith off waivers from Cincinnati, and will likely rely heavily on reinforcements from their training camp in Jupiter, Florida.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told MLB Network on Monday that there are factors that would force MLB to alter plans.
“A team losing a number of players that rendered it completely noncompetitive would be an issue that we would have to address and have to think about making a change,” he said. “Whether that was shutting down a part of the season, the whole season, that depends on the circumstances. Same thing with respect to leaguewide. You get to a certain point leaguewide where it does become a health threat, and we certainly would shut down at that point.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
