MLB says 29 positive COVID-19 tests in last week

July 31, 2020

(Reuters) – Major League Baseball, whose opening week was overshadowed by a COVID-19 outbreak that could potentially endanger the 2020 season, said on Friday that 0.2% of all tests taken in the past week have been positive.

Of the 11,895 samples collected in the past week through July 30, there were 29 positive tests, consisting of 20 players and nine staff members, MLB and the MLB Players’ Association said in a joint statement.

The Miami Marlins accounted for 21 of the positive tests, including 18 from players. Of the 29 remaining MLB clubs, eight had positive tests, which included two major league players, one alternate site player and five staff members.

The Marlins were the first team to suffer an outbreak among their team and MLB has since shut down the club for a week, meaning they will need to make up seven games during an already-truncated 60-game season.

Unlike the NBA, which has assembled its teams in a restricted campus at Disney World in Florida, most MLB teams are playing in their usual stadiums and following a schedule designed to limit travel.

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Toby Davis)