Major League Baseball intends to play an abbreviated 2020 season amid the coronavirus pandemic. Following weeks of contentious negotiations between the league and the MLB Players Association, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred installed a 60-game season that is set to launch on July 23. Players started to report to a second spring training (aka "summer camp") last week. With coronavirus cases surging in parts of the United States -- especially in Arizona, Florida and Texas -- it's fair to wonder if MLB will be able to execute a season this summer.
Players started getting tested as they began to show up for "spring" training 2.0, and those tests are supposed to continue regularly throughout the season. However, the first weekend of training camps showed there are already some issues with MLB's testing process.
As many players report to their home ballparks and return to the field, some are choosing not to play this season. Nationals mainstay Ryan Zimmerman was among the first handful of players to say he won't play in 2020. Dodgers left-hander David Price became the biggest name to opt out when he did so on July 4. Two Braves veterans -- right-hander Felix Hernandez and outfielder Nick Markakis -- have also said they will not be suiting up this year.
Players testing positive must first consent before their names are made public. Players testing positive must quarantine for two weeks and then must be free of symptoms and test negative twice before rejoining their clubs. MLB and the MLBPA recently announced the results of the first round of COVID-19 testing as full team workouts begin.
