MLB Says 9 Teams Have Reached 85% Vaccination Threshold Through April

Major League Baseball is making strides toward getting its clubs vaccinated amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), "nine teams have had 85 percent of players, coaches and others with Tier 1 access receive their final dose of the coronavirus vaccine, allowing those clubs to ease some health and safety protocols."

Per the AP, four teams have started "relaxing some protocols" after reaching the 85 percent threshold of Tier 1 personnel who are two weeks removed from their final vaccine dose.

Additionally, 81 percent of Tier 1 personnel around MLB are "partially or fully vaccinated," per that report. And out of 11,547 tests this week, the league returned just four positive tests for the coronavirus.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported Friday's game between the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees would be the first between teams to hit the 85 percent threshold:

For the season, the league has returned 43 positive cases out of 135,317 tests, a 0.03 percent rate of positives.

While the Washington Nationals and New York Mets did have a series called off, the season has run more smoothly than the shortened 2020 affair, which was marked by a number of postponements and clubs that were shut down for long periods.