Report: Yankees vs. Phillies Postponed Tuesday After Marlins' COVID-19 Outbreak

Tuesday's scheduled game between the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies has been postponed amid the fallout of a COVID-19 outbreak among Miami Marlins players.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported the game's postponement, marking the second straight day a game between the two teams has been shelved. At least 18 Marlins employees (16 players, two coaches) have tested positive for COVID-19 since the season began, and their players voted to play the Phillies on Sunday in Philadelphia despite knowingly having multiple players with the coronavirus.

Phillies players and staff have undergone further testing to see if the outbreak has spread. Sherman reported Tuesday that no players have tested positive among early results. Marly Rivera of ESPN later reported that a Citizens Bank Park visiting clubhouse staff member tested positive during a round of testing over the weekend.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred downplayed concerns Monday during an appearance on MLB Network:

"I don't put this in the nightmare category. We don't want any player to get exposed. It's not a positive thing, but I don't see it as a nightmare. We built the protocols to allow us to continue to play. That's why we have the expanded rosters. That's why we have the expanded pools of additional players. We think we can keep people safe and continue to play."

Provided additional test results come back negative, it's expected the Marlins and Phillies will be able to resume play later this week. Philadelphia is scheduled to play two games at Yankee Stadium starting Wednesday. Miami was supposed to start a two-game series against Baltimore on Monday, but that game was postponed. The two were going to play each other for two games in Baltimore starting Wednesday. 

In any case, the Marlins will be without 40 percent of their Opening Day roster for the foreseeable future. MLB requires players register two negative COVID-19 tests at least 24 hours apart before clearing them for a return.

While Manfred does not see this as a "nightmare" situation, it's hard to categorize it as anything else. MLB and its players association risked mass infections by not agreeing to a "bubble" format similar to the NBA, which has seen no new positive coronavirus results since sequestering its players in Orlando, Florida. While there are fallbacks of that plan—expense and isolation from families being chief among them—the NBA has clearly provided a safer alternative to moving forward with its season than MLB.

With no alternatives in place, it's likely this will not be the last outbreak among teams this season.