Major League Baseball has postponed this weekend’s scheduled series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies because of concerns about COVID-19 after two Phillies staffers tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
“Major League Baseball will coordinate with health experts and the Major League Baseball Players’ Association in planning for the Phillies’ resumption of play, and will provide further scheduling updates as necessary,” MLB said in a statement on Thursday.
Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo revealed news of the postponed series on Thursday, saying that his club was “not going to Philadelphia,” where the series was scheduled to take place.
Photo: Geoff Burke / USA TODAY
“Our plans right now are to stay put and let MLB work through whatever they’re working through,” Montoyo said before his club played the last of four games in Washington.
It is the latest in a series of scheduling changes as the MLB attempts to play a 60-game season amid the pandemic.
Earlier on Thursday, word emerged that another player with the Miami Marlins — who recently played in Philadelphia 1 tested positive for COVID-19, bringing their total infections to 17 players, a person familiar with the situation said.
The Phillies said there were no positive results among players from Wednesday’s testing of their team, although a member of the coaching staff and a member of the home clubhouse staff tested positive.
All activity at Citizens Bank Park was canceled on Thursday until further notice.
The Blue Jays are stuck on the road because the Canadian government would not let them use their stadium in Toronto this season because of fears about teams traveling back and forth to the US.
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