Mark Canha shares virtual dinner with daughter before A's Opening Day

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A's outfielder Mark Canha and his wife Marci have two daughters. While Oakland completes the 2020 MLB season amid the coronavirus pandemic, some players like Canha have to pack up and stay in a hotel room alone, away from their families for upwards of three months, depending on when the A's run in the postseason concludes.

The 31-year-old shared an emotional Instagram post on Wednesday showing how he has had to adapt sitting down to eat dinner with his daughter.

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Tonight I had dinner via FaceTime with my daughter. It was really nice. I had wings, fried hamachi collar, and fried garlic rice with shiso, nori, and preserved lemon from @missionchinesesf with @biritesf ice cream for dessert. She had soup. I know times are difficult with everything that’s going on, but please take advantage and enjoy any extra time you may have with your loved ones. While dinner was delicious, eating from my hotel room while my ladies are back home is not the best. It’s been 3 weeks since I left for baseball, and I just really miss my wife and kids. I’m pretty sure it’s the longest I’ve ever been away from my daughters. I have to admit this is much harder than I thought it would be. Usually I keep things pretty light on this blog, but today I want to remind you to cherish your family #stAyfoodie #family

A post shared by Mark Canha (@bigleaguefoodie) on Jul 22, 2020 at 7:29pm PDT

"I know times are difficult with everything that’s going on," Canha wrote. "But please take advantage and enjoy any extra time you may have with your loved ones. While dinner was delicious, eating from my hotel room while my ladies are back home is not the best. It’s been 3 weeks since I left for baseball, and I just really miss my wife and kids.

"I’m pretty sure it’s the longest I’ve ever been away from my daughters. I have to admit this is much harder than I thought it would be. Usually I keep things pretty light on this blog, but today I want to remind you to cherish your family."

[RELATED: Making case for loaded A's roster winning 2020 World Series]

Canha's post shows the darker side of the 2020 season, the one that led players like Giants catcher Buster Posey -- whose family adopted twin, newborn girls in early July -- to opt out of playing this season. Baseball's abbreviated season actually allowed Canha the opportunity to be there distraction-free for the birth of his second daughter during the pandemic, but he had to return to Oakland for training camp after getting to spend a few months with the newborn.

Schedules were adapted to include regional games only, but playing on the West Coast includes guaranteed trips to Seattle, Los Angeles and Houston, all of which have had recent increases in COVID-19 cases. The A's also will have to travel to Phoenix and the Dallas area.

Stringent MLB health and safety protocols are in effect, but we couldn't even make it through Opening Night without a positive test. Washington Nationals star Juan Soto had to be placed on the injured list just hours before Thursday's first pitch.

It's totally understandable to have immense joy and excitement as a baseball fan with Opening Day upon us. It's a magical annual tradition that transfixes every kid who grew up playing and watching the sport.

But make sure you don't forget about the human impact these players, coaches, team employees, broadcast operations staff and the countless others who will help ensure this MLB season get off the ground. They're all making sacrifices to provide us with the entertainment we've been craving, so remember Canha and his daughters being without their dad for several months before you start typing out an angry social media post after a strikeout or subpar flyball route on Friday night.

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