On Monday, MLB announced (along with the NBA, NHL, and MLS) that all team locker rooms and clubhouses will be open only to players and essential personnel until further notice due to the spread of coronavirus.
As the Mets and Astros faced off Tuesday in West Palm Beach, Fla., a few Mets players addressed the growing concern.
"It seems like they have it under control the way that they would like right now, as far as major league goes for the season," said Brandon Nimmo. "I know the virus might not be under control the way everyone would like, but it seems that things are going to go on as normal. We're just going to try to limit the exposure of the players so we can play those games without any hindrance."
"It is what it is," added Robinson Cano. "If you get it, you get it, but you can't live with that in your mind every day, walking in, walking out. You just hope nobody gets it and just hope it goes away soon."
Interviews with members of the media are now taking place outside of team clubhouses, and players seem to be keeping any talk about coronavirus outside of the clubhouse as well.
"We don't talk about it. We're just here, we're family," said Cano. "Nobody in here wants to get that. So if it happens, depending on the symptoms and how you feel, just call before you come in and they check on you to make sure that you don't bring that into the clubhouse. So, like I said, I hope nobody gets it."
Said Rick Porcello: "If you're a family that's been affected by it, you've definitely got to be concerned, and obviously I'm concerned for parents and other loved ones, but at the same time, you don't want to be living every day in fear either. So I think it's just that right balance of taking your precautions but also continuing to live your life and enjoy it."
With other countries and even some college leagues cancelling games or at least discussing the possibility of playing games without a live audience, players like Nimmo don't appear to anticipate baseball following suit.
"I'm a player in the game and I'm going to do what I'm told to do, but it's not something that I don't think anyone in the big leagues imagined, playing in front of nobody," said Nimmo. "We enjoy the fans, they make it fun and they're the reason that we're here, that I get to have this job and play this game."