Marlins' season halted due to COVID-19 outbreak

Major League Baseball has postponed all Miami Marlins games through Sunday after four additional players tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases within the club to 17 over the last five days according to reports.

Freddie Joyner has more

Major League Baseball on Tuesday postponed all Miami Marlins games through Sunday, due to an outbreak of the coronavirus on the team.

A total of seventeen members of the Marlins organization have tested positive over the last five days, according to multiple reports.

In a statement on Tuesday, the MLB emphasized the lingering dangers of the virus...saying quote: "The difficult circumstances of one Club reinforce the vital need to be diligent with the protocols in all ways, both on and off the field.

We will continue to bolster our protocols and make any necessary adjustments.

The realities of the virus still loom large, and we must operate with that in mind everyday." The league added that the remainder of the Phillies-Yankees series, scheduled to be played on Tuesday in Philadelphia and Wednesday and Thursday in New York, would also be postponed "out of an abundance of caution" after the Marlins last played in Philadelphia on Sunday.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, who has the power to shut down the regular season if circumstances make it unsafe, told the MLB Network on Monday that the league was prepared to handle outbreaks such as the one with the Marlins.

"Obviously, we don't want any player to get exposed.

It's not a positive thing, but I don't see it as a nightmare," he said, adding, " We built the protocols to allow us to continue to play, that's why we have the expanded rosters, that's why we have the pool of additional players.

We think we can keep people safe and continue to play."