Phillies Reportedly Return Zero Positive COVID-19 Tests for 2nd Straight Day

Further testing on Philadelphia Phillies players and staff yielded zero positive COVID-19 results for the second day in a row, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan on Wednesday.

The Phillies haven't played since Sunday's 11-6 defeat to the Miami Marlins, after which the Marlins were revealed to have a coronavirus outbreak.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported Philadelphia will return to the field Saturday with a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays before concluding the three-game series Sunday.

The Marlins, meanwhile, will not play until at least Monday after MLB temporarily halted their season. Commissioner Rob Manfred, who has the authority to suspend or cancel a team's campaign, initially said the league wasn't planning to take that step with Miami.

Rosenthal reported Wednesday the 18th member of the organization tested positive for COVID-19.

Rosenthal had reported Tuesday a "vast majority" of Washington Nationals players voted against traveling to Miami for a three-game set with the Marlins this weekend.

Phillies manager Joe Girardi addressed the situation Tuesday in an interview on SiriusXM's MLB Network Radio. He said it was "smart" for MLB to exercise caution and added that it would be OK if a team failed to play 60 games.

The Athletic's Matt Gelb reported MLB officials "consulted with national and local public health officials" to determine the Phillies' five-day break.

The Marlins' outbreak, which happened days after Opening Day, underscores the tenuous nature of the season. Aware of three positive tests within their team, Marlins players decided to play Sunday, thus potentially risking exposing the Phillies and derailing the season.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher David Price, who opted out of the season, was among those critical of Manfred and MLB officials:

Playing during a pandemic—and not within a "bubble" in which MLB could closely monitor players and staff—meant this was one possible outcome.