Opening Day, originally scheduled to begin on March 26, was delayed for two weeks until being delayed until further notice on March 16 due to the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) recommendations of halting any gatherings consisting of more than 50 people for the next eight weeks.
MLB will continue to evaluate ongoing events leading up to the start of the season. Guidance related to daily operations and workouts will be relayed to Clubs in the coming days. As of 4 p.m. ET today, forthcoming Spring Training games have been cancelled, and 2020 World Baseball Classic Qualifier games in Tucson, Ariz., have been postponed indefinitely.
MLB and the clubs have been preparing a variety of contingency plans regarding the 2020 regular season schedule. MLB will announce the effects on the schedule at an appropriate time and will remain flexible as events warrant, with the hope of resuming normal operations as soon as possible.
Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of our players, employees and fans. MLB will continue to undertake the precautions and best practices recommended by public health experts. We send our best wishes to all individuals and communities that have been impacted by coronavirus."
MLB will use saliva tests to monitor players health.
Major League Baseball is implementing new rules to get the season started during the pandemic.
According to a draft obtained by the Athletic and ESPN high fives and fist bumps will be banned.
Players will also have to social distance when they are not on the field. They could sit in the stands instead of in the dugout.
Payers can’t spit sunflower seeds or tobacco juice. Additionally, MLB will use saliva test to monitor players health.
With 25+ years in the radio industry, Detroit native, Walter Neal aka "Tune-Up Man" has worked in radio sales, production, engineering and programming. He enjoys all things Detroit sports. Catch Tune-Up Weekdays 3p-7p and Sunday's 4p-7p