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Another COVID-19 outbreak? Astros shut down alternate site after positive test

Houston Astros logo during game at Minute Maid Park
Jul 10, 2020; Houston, Texas, United States; A view of the centerfield Astros log during practice at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets’ weekend series against the rival New York Yankees had to be postponed after an outbreak of COVID-19 within the Mets’ organization.

This represents the latest example of Major League Baseball struggling playing the 60-game season amid the pandemic.

Even without fans in attendance, it was always going to be difficult having teams play in their home venues and travel for road trips with the virus still plaguing the United States. We might now have another issue here.

Astros shut down alternate site after positive COVID-19 test

“The Astros temporarily shut down their alternate training site in Corpus Christi, Texas, within the past couple of days because of one positive coronavirus test,” the team announced, via its official website.

General manager James Click did note that no one within the Major League club or those traveling with the Astros showed up in contact tracing. That’s at least some positive news in this regard.

Will further outbreaks of COVID-19 lead to MLB canceling its season?

As of right now, it appears to be up to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. There’s no set number of positive COVID-19 cases or outbreaks within the league that would lead to the season being canceled. That became obvious after the Miami Marlins were forced from action for more than a week following 17 reported positive tests.

More recently, the St. Louis Cardinals were forced from action for two-plus weeks after an outbreak.

The saving grace here is that we’re only seeing an outbreak of the virus one team at a time. If multiple organizations are forced from the field for the span of a week or more, it would create a lot of complications for Major League Baseball.

The goal here is to get through the last half of the shortened regular season. At that point, the league could play the postseason and World Series in a bubble, like we’re seeing with the NBA and NHL right now.

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