The New York Yankees are currently heading into a condensed 2020 season with their full team of players, but that could change shortly as others around the league have begun to opt-out of a risky campaign. MLB has come to a conclusion with the Player’s Association on a 60 game, full-prorated season that will include a portion of the playoff revenues for the players.
While most players will opt-in and earn their keep, at least some of it in a shorter campaign, the coming days could see players drop out and stay with their families to avoid health risks. There have already been several players to decide against playing, including Nationals infielder Ryan Zimmerman, pitcher Joe Ross, Arizona Diamondbacks right-handed pitcher Mike Leake, and Monday night Colorado Rockies outfielder Ian Desmond also stated he would be spending time with his family instead.
Desmond stated “The COVID-19 pandemic has made this baseball season one that is a risk I’m not comfortable taking,†in a post via Instagram.
The New York Yankees could be facing a potential problem:
That is one factor most people forgot about; players might not feel comfortable playing in such a high-risk situation where they could infect others or bring it back to their respective families.
With that being said, the Yankees could be facing a similar problem in the coming days, but with training camp 2.0 slated to restart in two days, their players would have to make a decision quickly on whether to play or not.
Currently, the Bombers are programmed to start up again in the Bronx, leaving Florida due to the spike in cases. The league will have to be extremely tough on the players and the guidelines they set forth to mitigate the concern.
Of course, it will be impossible to shield and protect every player completely, but is it is their responsibility to keep the game safe and virus-free. One case could evidently strike the entire league or at least an entire team, which would put the recently intact season at risk once again.
It seems as if soccer players in other countries have been able to limit their exposure to the virus and stay healthy, and other sports in the US must follow their lead in the precautions being followed.