Blue Jays have to shuffle off to Buffalo

The displaced Toronto Blue Jays will play in a minorleague ballpark in Buffalo, N.Y., this year after being turned down by the Canadian government and blocked from playing in Pittsburgh by the state of Pennsylvania.

The Blue Jays’ home for the season will be Sahlen Field, where their TripleA affiliate Buffalo Bisons usually play.

The team had been looking for a majorleague ballpark for its home games after the Canadian government wouldn’t allow it to play in Toronto but the search was unsuccessful. Pennsylvania health officials rejected a deal to play in Pittsburgh because of rising coronavirus cases there.

The team also held talks with the Baltimore Orioles about using Camden Yards, but the Blue Jays didn’t want to wait on Maryland officials with their season starting Friday.

“Baltimore never got to a situation to where we were denied,” Blue Jays President Mark Shapiro said. ”At some point continuing to explore and look at an option like Baltimore was not going to be a risk we could take. That risk of being turned down certainly existed. And so we obviously had to make a decision knowing we had a very good alternative, albeit it not a majorleague one.”

The Blue Jays opened the season at Tampa Bay on Friday. Their first scheduled home series, against the Washington Nationals on July 29 and 30, will now also be on the road to accommodate infrastructure modifications at Sahlen Field and coronavirus safety requirements.

The Blue Jays’ first game in Buffalo will be July 31 against the Phillies or Aug. 11 against the Marlins. Briefly: Four baseball players and two staff tested positive for the coronavirus in the past week . ... Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw’s back issue that forced him to miss his Opening Night start against the Giants is improving and he hopes to return soon, although there is no timetable . ... A record 110 players from the Dominican Republic were on Opening Day rosters.