New York Post

MLB investigat­ing Marlins’ outbreak

- By JOEL SHERMAN

MLB has initiated an investigat­ion into how the COVID-19 outbreak began on the Marlins with the aim of reinforcin­g better practices specifical­ly with this team and learning what can be done to prevent a repeat elsewhere, The Post has learned.

With one more player having a positive test revealed Wednesday, the Marlins’ total moved to 16 players and two coaches having been infected. From Friday to Wednesday, Marlins personnel represente­d the only positive results. The other 29 teams combined for zero positives in MLB and MLB Players Associatio­n reporting.

Thus, MLB launched a look into what went wrong with the Marlins. As one official briefed on the Marlins’ situation said, “Something happened massively disruptive to the process that is not going on anywhere else.” MLB wants to know why. To decide whether the Marlins need further reinforcin­g of the health and safety protocols and to see if elements were missed in the protocols that could be updated.

There is concentrat­ion currently on whether there were infected personnel on the Marlins’ charter last Tuesday from Miami to Atlanta, and whether protocol to avoid crowded public places while on the road was violated by members of the Marlins’ traveling party after a Tuesday night exhibition game against the Braves.

Marlins vice president of communicat­ions and broadcasti­ng Jason Latimer said, “We are not going to comment on rumors. Like MLB, we are gathering as much informatio­n as possible about the entire situation. It is about finding out that informatio­n before commenting on it.”

The Marlins also played the Braves on Wednesday and flew to Philadelph­ia after that to begin the regular season. On Friday, the Marlins received word of their first positive test, then got three more on Saturday night, yet all three games against the Phillies were played. By Monday, MLB knew it was dealing with a wide contagion on the Marlins, at the least.

Their traveling party has yet to leave Philadelph­ia and those who have tested positive have been sequestere­d at a separate hotel from the others. Miami will not play before Monday and, in the meantime, has been scrambling to add veterans such as Logan Forsythe and Mike Morin to the group at its satellite facility. The Marlins are going to have to replace more than half of their team before playing their next game, putting them in a substantia­l competitiv­e disadvanta­ge.

Don Mattingly, following Sunday’s victory over the Phillies, is the last top team official to address reporters’ questions and it was before the full extent of the problem was recognized. CEO Derek Jeter put out a statement Monday in which he acknowledg­ed that “we now have experience­d challenges once we went on the road and left Miami.”

As of Tuesday morning, no Phillies players or coaches had tested positive and, like the Marlins, they are now being tested daily. The Phillies will not play before Saturday.

 ?? AP ?? WHAT HAPPENED? MLB is looking into what caused the coronaviru­s outbreak for Don Mattingly’s Marlins squad, which has had 16 players test positive.
AP WHAT HAPPENED? MLB is looking into what caused the coronaviru­s outbreak for Don Mattingly’s Marlins squad, which has had 16 players test positive.
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