Fauci: MLB Doesn't Need to Stop, but Marlins Outbreak 'Could Put It in Danger'

Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday the 2020 MLB season may be in "danger" after an outbreak involving the Miami Marlins led to over a dozen positive COVID-19 tests.

Steven Wine of the Associated Press provided comments Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, made about the situation on ABC's Good Morning America.

"This could put it in danger," Fauci said. "I don't believe they need to stop, but we just need to follow this and see what happens with other teams on a day-by-day basis."

Here's a look at the full interview (Marlins discussion begins at 4:20):

Fauci helped kick off the 2020 season by throwing out the first pitch before the reigning World Series champion Washington Nationals hosted the New York Yankees last Thursday.

"Major League Baseball—the players, the owners, the managers—have put a lot of effort into getting together and putting protocols that we feel would work," he said Tuesday on GMA. "It's very unfortunate what happened with the Miami [Marlins]."

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred explained during an appearance on the MLB Network he was hopeful the Marlins could be back on the field within a few days.

"We're waiting to see exactly what we get in terms of test results before we make a decision," he said Monday. "Right now, the only thing that's firm is if the test results result in negatives for the rest of the [Marlins], we would play at least two in Baltimore on Wednesday and Thursday."

Manfred said the league's COVID-19 protocols "allow us to continue to play through those positives," which they expected to pop up throughout the 60-game season amid the coronavirus pandemic.

He added that trying to utilize the "bubble" format being used by the NBA and NHL to resume their seasons wasn't a realistic option for MLB.

"I think the decision that we made with respect to the bubble was the right one. We're different than other sports," Manfred said on the MLB Network. "... I think the NBA and the NHL have an advantage of smaller numbers of players, shorter period of time; I understand why they did what they did. I'm just not sure it was workable for us."

Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels agreed with that sentiment Monday during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan Radio in Dallas.

"I don't think it would work [because of the size of it]," Daniels said. "In basketball, the size of the roster and the number of people is so much smaller. To have enough players, to have a backup for normal injuries, not even COVID, necessarily. And the number of staff. ... I just think, logistically, it was just too big of an operation. We looked at it originally, and I was a little skeptical that we would pull it off."

Along with the Marlins' game against the Orioles, the clash between the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies was also postponed Monday. The Phillies played against Miami over the weekend.

The MLB regular season is slated to run through Sept. 27 if everything remains on schedule.

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Bleacher Report's David Gardner interviews athletes and other sports figures for the podcast How to Survive Without Sports.