Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports that “multiple BlueJays players and staff have tested positive for COVID-19.”
Davidi says that the tests are related to the shutdown of the Jays’ spring training facility in Dunedin, Florida last week. Which may, in turn, be connected to the Phillies’ multiple positive tests as there have been reports that people from the two nearby facilities were socializing.
Regardless of the source, though, the problem is a significant one. As Davidi notes, the Jays are in a somewhat different situation than the U.S.-based teams in that it is not clear whether they will be allowed to use their home park, Rogers Centre, for spring training or the regular season. They had hoped to have Dunedin as a potential fallback option, but given that it’s in a state that is experiencing a COVID-19 spike and given that the facility itself is the locus of multiple positive tests, that plan seems less-than-ideal.
