Phillies Announce 4 More Members of Organization Tested Positive for COVID-19

Two Philadelphia Phillies players and two of the team's staff members tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total of positive tests across the organization to 12.

The Phillies initially announced last week five players and three staffers tested positive at the team's spring training complex in Clearwater, Florida.

Following more positive tests across the league, MLB ordered the closure of all spring training facilities to clean the necessary buildings and surfaces.

This comes as baseball is preparing to stage a 2020 season. The league announced Monday the MLB Players Association rejected the final offer from team owners, so the league would use the terms of a March agreement between the two sides.

MLB also asked whether players would be ready for a modified training period starting as early as July 1.

ESPN's T.J. Quinn spoke to a senior MLB official who thought the COVID-19 pandemic would present a "much bigger threat" to the 2020 season than the protracted labor dispute.

After relaxing some stay-at-home guidelines and business restrictions, Arizona and Florida have seen rises in confirmed cases. According to Reuters' Chris Canipe and Lisa Shumaker, their positive tests climbed by 87 percent and 90 percent, respectively, over the last week.