Updates on the coronavirus outbreak are ever-changing across the country and it continues to directly impact the professional sports world. On Monday, MLB released a statement pushing back the start of the 2020 regular season by at least eight weeks.
After originally delaying Opening Day by two weeks due to coronavirus precautions, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred quickly made the call on Monday to push back its start date to at least mid-May following a conference call with baseball executives. The decision came just hours after MLB shut down their spring training facilities due to the recent outbreak.
In the statement, MLB said, "Following last night's newly updated recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) restricting events of more than 50 people for the next eight weeks, the opening of the 2020 regular season will be pushed back in accordance with that guidance."
Players were recently given the option to stay in their spring training city, head home or travel to the city of the team they play for while spring training operations were suspended.
Members of the Cleveland Indians front office have already traveled back to Cleveland.
On Sunday it was announced that a New York Yankees minor-league player had been diagnosed with the coronavirus.
MLB continued their Monday statement saying, "MLB will keep fans updated on decisions regarding plans for the 2020 schedule in the days and weeks ahead. The Clubs remain committed to playing as many games as possible when the season begins. We will continue to monitor ongoing events and undertake the precautions and best practices recommended by the public health experts, and urge all baseball fans to follow suit. MLB extends its best wishes to all the individuals and communities who have been impacted by the coronavirus."
Over the weekend, reports surfaced indicating that the NBA may not plan on returning to action for a minimum of three months.