• Opt-outs eager to return.

David Price spent much of 2020 in front of his television, watching from afar as his Los Angeles Dodgers chased an elusive World Series championship.

Trepidation about playing baseball through a pandemic trumped his urge to play — but that doesn’t mean the 2012 AL Cy Young Award winner never thought about an early return.

“It definitely crossed my mind,” Price said Friday from Dodgers spring training in Glendale, Ariz. “But I didn’t want to just come back to be back. I wanted to come back to stay.”

Sixteen months since his last competitive game, Price is indeed back, just like many of the nearly 20 big-leaguers who opted out of the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season — a list including Allstars such as San Francisco’s Buster Posey, Milwaukee’s Lorenzo Cain, the New York Mets’ Marcus Stroman and Washington’s Ryan Zimmerman.

Traded from Boston to the Dodgers last February, Price, 35, pitched in spring exhibitions for L.A. before deciding to go home. Instead of playing, he did what many Americans have done with their unexpected time — he watched a lot of TV.

“On the West Coast, baseball starts at 10 a.m.,” he said. “I had baseball on TV all day long, East Coast games and West Coast games.”

Coming back after all that wasn’t a hard decision.

“I feel like our team and MLB handled it extremely well,” Price said. “I know they had a lot of protocols they had to go through. The training staff were bending over backwards to keep guys COVID-FREE.

“We have a lot more information on it now,” he added. “All of that played into the decision to play this year. I knew I wanted to play this year.”

Nationals right-hander Joe Ross echoed that sentiment. He hasn’t pitched since starting Game 5 of the 2019 World Series, passing on a chance to defend the title because of all the uncertainties at the time about the effectiveness of MLB’S protocols.

After early-season outbreaks on the Cardinals and Marlins, MLB adjusted its safety guidelines and successfully played through the end of the season. The league has enhanced its protocols this spring, including the introduction of electronic contact tracing wristbands for players to wear around team facilities.

“Everything so far has been going great,” Ross said. “It’s kind of a normal, quoteunquote, spring training as far as being back on the field and stuff like that.”

Bieber reports to camp

Cy Young winner Shane Bieber reported to training camp on Saturday with the Indians after the righthander was quarantined with COVID-19.

Bieber, who was baseball’s best pitcher in 2020, was medically cleared and joined Cleveland’s other pitchers and catchers in Goodyear, Ariz. The 25-yearold recently tested positive with the virus, but only experienced mild symptoms.

Bieber spent part of the winter working out at the team’s training complex, and manager Terry Francona said his ace will resume a normal work schedule.

“He was actually able to throw a bullpen I think in his backyard when he was down,” said Francona, who is recovering from a staph infection in his toe.

Notable

The Mets transferred right-hander Noah Syndergaard to the 60-day injured list to make room for righty Taijuan Walker, who finalized a $20 million, two-year contract.

The announcement ensures Syndergaard won’t return to the rotation until at least June as he comes back following Tommy John surgery last March.

• Boston will send Kansas City $2.8 million as part of the Feb. 10 three-team trade that moved outfielder Andrew Benintendi to the Royals.

ROSS D. FRANKLIN AP David Price, who opted not to play in his first season with L.A., says he knew he wanted to play this year.