Phillies to workout Saturday after negative tests, threat of league-wide cancellation looms

The Phillies announced Saturday morning that there were no new positive tests from Friday’s round of COVID-19 testing. The team will workout in staggered groups at Citizens Bank Park this afternoon. It is the team’s first workout since Wednesday.

MLB has not officially announced the Phillies’ next opponent. They were scheduled to play the Marlins in Miami in a three-game series beginning Tuesday, but that appears highly unlikely. Multiple reports claim the Phillies are tentatively scheduled to travel to the Bronx to take on the Yankees in a two-game series Monday and Tuesday.

However, it’s very possible that the MLB season could be canned once the Phillies are ready to return to the field. Multiple Cardinals players and staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus Saturday and according to Ken Rosenthal, the number is between four and six. In addition, two St. Louis players tested positive on Friday before they were set to take on the Brewers in Milwaukee.

On Friday, ESPN first reported that Commissioner Rob Manfred warned MLBPA executive director Tony Clark that the season could be in jeopardy if the coronavirus outbreak around the league continues to worsen. Broadcast partners were told to be ready to find alternative programming as soon as Monday, per ESPN. Player representatives around the league are also growing increasingly concerned:

In text conversations with teammates Friday, MLBPA player reps warned that if there is a big jump in COVID+ tests over the weekend, MLB season may be canceled. While it remains unclear what the threshold is, @CraigMish is reporting the Cardinals have more than five new positives.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 1, 2020

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