(Reuters) – Four additional Miami Marlins players have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases within the Major League Baseball club to 17 over the last five days, according to multiple reports on Tuesday.
The Marlins, who opened their season last Friday with a three-game series in Philadelphia, previously had 11 players and two coaches test positive for the virus.
The Athletic website quoted a source as saying the Marlins are still in Philadelphia and that one of the previous team members to test positive had a subsequent test come back negative.
MLB did not immediately respond when asked by Reuters in an email to confirm the report.
Miami, whose home game for later on Tuesday had already been postponed, are currently scheduled to open a two-game series at the Baltimore Orioles starting on Wednesday.
According to MLB’s operations manual for the coronavirus-delayed season, team members who test positive must have two negative tests taken at least 24 hours apart before they are allowed to return to team facilities.
Earlier, a source told Reuters that Tuesday’s game between the Philadelphia Phillies and visiting New York Yankees had been postponed as some members of the home team await COVID-19 test results.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Jon Boyle and Christian Radnedge)
