In the study that had 5,603 MLB employees tested for COVID-19 antibodies, Stanford Dr. Jay Bhattacharya found that 60 cases were positive. And though that is a 0.7 percent positive rate, the two New York teams in the Mets and Yankees were among the highest positive cases.
According to The Athletic, it was the Angels employees who had the highest rate in this test that is the largest of its kind to date. However, the Mets and Yankees followed, though Bhattacharya said the rates recorded were lower than counties in which they play.
"I was expecting a larger number of people to test positive," he said. "These numbers indicate these numbers haven't spread very far. But at the same time, we have had a zero percent mortality rate."
New York City has been a hot spot for coronavirus, with about 183,000 confirmed cases as of Sunday. But this study wasn't to check to see which cities are worse than the others. Instead, Bhattacharya said it was designed to see how far in fact the infection has spread in our country thus far.
There have been 1.3 million Americans who tested positive for the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University. Stay-at-home orders are continuing throughout the country, while some states have entered a "Phase 1" to ease citizens back into normal life.
As for baseball returning, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported the league will be having a call with the owners on Monday to discuss a proposal that outlines what the 2020 season could look like. If it is approved by the owners, players will then hear it on Tuesday.
Among the outline is the season beginning on or around July 1 with about 80 games played (that is subject to change with 78 or 82 games among options). Also, teams will only be playing opponents in their geographical regions. So, for the Mets, it would be the NL and AL East divisions. Expanded rosters as well as an expanded playoff format is also in the cards.
This test wasn't designed specifically to see if or when the league could resume play. However, 27 teams participated to help medical professionals like Dr. Bhattacharya get a better understanding of this virus to hopefully try and solve its ever-evolving issue sooner than later.
Video: BNNY: Mets and Yankees in the same division for 2020?