As Major League Baseball and the Players Association continue to butt heads over a potential 2020 season, spring training sites are once again being shut down.
According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, MLB is temporarily shutting down all spring training facilities in Florida and Arizona, effective immediately. Both states have seen recent spikes in positive coronavirus tests after reopening.
Per USA Today, the sites will be closed for "deep cleaning" and will not permit players or staff members to re-enter the team facilities until they have passed a coronavirus test.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that MLB is hopeful to reopen these sites early next week.
The Mets reopened their Port St. Lucie training facility on June 2, allowing players who stayed in the area to come in for individual workouts.
On Friday, the Phillies shut down their spring training site in Clearwater, Fla. after eight people (five players and three staff members) tested positive for the virus. The Blue Jays, in nearby Dunedin, Fla., also closed their facility after a player exhibited symptoms.
Even before news came out that MLB would be temporarily closing sites in Florida and Arizona, MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported that the Mets have already had discussions about possibly moving spring training back to New York, where coronavirus numbers are much more controlled, if/when a 2020 season is agreed to.
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