MLB Teams Pledge $30M to Help Ballpark Workers During Coronavirus Hiatus

All 30 MLB teams are committing $1 million each to their respective ballpark employees "who would not have been paid due to the coronavirus crisis causing the postponement of the baseball season until at least mid-May," according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

"Motivated by desire to help some of the most valuable members of the baseball community, each club has committed $1 million," MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed in a statement to Passan.

Manfred's statement continued: 

"The individual clubs will be announcing more details surrounding this support effort in their local communities. The timing of these announcements will vary because of the need to coordinate with state and local laws as well as collective-bargaining obligations in an effort to maximize the benefits realized by each group of employees. I am proud that our clubs came together so quickly and uniformly to support these individuals who provide so much to the game we love."

MLB announced on Monday that the league's 2020 Opening Day "will be pushed back in accordance" with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation for gatherings of 50 or more people to be cancelled or postponed for eight weeks:

MLB initially announced last Thursday the cancellation of spring training and delay of Opening Day by at least two weeks:

The league and MLB Players Association have jointly donated $1 million "to help fight hunger as a result of school closures and quarantines" as the coronavirus continues to spread across the country. The money will be split evenly between Feeding America and Meals on Wheels America.

There are two known cases of the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, in baseball. The first was reported by Passan on Sunday as a minor league player in the New York Yankees' system.

MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported earlier Tuesday that another Yankees minor leaguer has tested positive for COVID-19, and "the team is following health officials directives and players are being tested and remain quarantined."

There have been 173,344 confirmed cases of the coronavirus worldwide, according to CNN's latest figures, resulting in 7,019 global deaths. CNN also relayed that at least 98 people have died from the virus in the United States.