Safe at home? Off-field behavior will be decisive for league

MIAMI (AP) » Reliever Nick Vincent signed last week with the Miami Marlins and settled in for two days of quarantine in his hotel room while awaiting clearance to join workouts.

“That was a little bit different,” he said. “In 48 hours, you’re definitely a little stir-crazy.”

Vincent spent a lot of time watching TV, including the news, which reinforced that it was wise to lay low with the coronavirus crisis worsening in Florida and much of the country.

And as Major League Baseball attempts to salvage the 2020 season, behavior away from the ballpark will help determine the outcome. Just like on the field, success will depend on how many players are safe at home.

“That’s going to be the biggest challenge for this game to move forward — the off-the-field stuff and what guys do,” said Vincent, an eight-year major league veteran. “It’s just going to take one team to mess it up for everybody. I hope everybody gets that. It’ll take five guys to get a whole team sick, and then if a whole team is sick, that could end the season for everybody else.”

Multiple issues could sabotage baseball’s relaunch. Some players — including David Price of

the Los Angeles Dodgers and Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals — decided not to take part because of the health risk, and testing glitches further raised concerns. Positive tests for four Atlanta Braves, including four-time All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman, underscored the fragility of MLB’s plan to navigate the pandemic.

There’s also worry regarding what happens when players are away from work and beyond whatever bubble can be created at the ballpark.

“Guys are 23, 24. They’re young. They’re in a sense bullet-proof,”

Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “But if we’re going to run around at night and do whatever we want to do, we’re going to put everybody’s family at risk.”

Long lines of cars at the virus testing site at the Marlins’ ballpark provide the team with a daily reminder of the hazards off the field.

Players broadly acknowledge they must police themselves — and each other. Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw said he trusts his teammates to act responsibly away from the ballpark, but he acknowledged it might be harder for players who are single or living in confined spaces like apartments.