Coronavirus: Two MLB games off after Miami Marlins players and staff test positive

The Miami Marlins played the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday

Two Major League Baseball (MLB) fixtures scheduled for Monday have been postponed after the Miami Marlins suffered a coronavirus outbreak.

The Marlins were set to host the Baltimore Orioles but 14 players and staff members have reportedly tested positive for Covid-19.

The Philadelphia Phillies, who hosted the Marlins on Saturday, called off the game against the New York Yankees.

MLB is just four days into the new season.

Marlins manager Don Mattingly said "the guys that tested positive are quarantined in Philly" adding: "It's fair to say guys are concerned about things."

MLB said in a statement it would be conducting additional Covid-19 testing.

Analysis

BBC World Service Sport's Seth Bennett:

This is a huge blow for Major League Baseball, which had hoped to be the leading light in bringing back professional sport in North America.

While there has always been provision for players to test positive for Covid-19, MLB wasn't expecting one third of a team to go down with the virus at the same time.

To have so many of the Marlins organisation test positive for coronavirus will add more weight to those who felt that playing a 60-game season without doing so in a bubble was just too dangerous.

The worry of spreading the virus to other teams is huge and so all parties are acting with caution.

The New York Yankees would have been using the same facilities as Miami, less than 24 hours after the Marlins had used them. There is still no answer as to whether the Philadelphia Phillies have been impacted by the Marlins outbreak.

With so many games being played in such a short space of time, there is almost no wiggle room for teams to miss multiple fixtures and still have time to make it up.

This is MLB's worst nightmare. It needs to find a quick solution to restore confidence in the testing programme and safety measures.

It was a hard sell to the players to get the season under way, with some deciding not to take part. Now Major League Baseball and the Players Association will have to make sure that whatever happens next will ensure the safety of the players and team officials - or there will be little choice but to cancel the season.