The reigning World Series champion Washington Nationals and the team they beat for the title, the Houston Astros, called off practice Monday after not receiving results from COVID-19 tests taken Friday.
Nationals general manager and baseball operations president Mike Rizzo warned that Major League Baseball's bid to stage a coronavirus-shortened 2020 season was in jeopardy unless test results were available in a more timely fashion.
"Without accurate and timely testing it is simply not safe for us to continue with summer camp," Rizzo said.
"Major League Baseball needs to work quickly to resolve issues with their process and their lab. Otherwise, summer camp and the 2020 season are at risk."
All Nationals players and staff were tested Friday for coronavirus as part of MLB's protocols as pre-season workouts began ahead of a planned August 23 start of games in home stadiums without spectators.
"Seventy-two hours later, we have yet to receive the results of those tests," Rizzo said. "We cannot have our players and staff work at risk.
"Therefore, we have cancelled our team workout scheduled for this morning. We will not sacrifice the health and safety of our players, staff and their families."
Astros general manager James Click, whose club fell to Washington in seven games in last year's best-of-seven championship series, said his team also had not gotten Friday results.
"The safety of our players and staff remains our top priority," Click said. "The team is still awaiting results from COVID-19 tests taken on Friday. Due to the delay in receiving these results, coupled with the contagious nature of the virus, we felt it was prudent to cancel today's workouts."
The Astros continue to follow testing and screening protocols, Click said, showing more confidence the US July 4 Independence Day holiday was to blame than systemic trouble that risks the entire campaign.
"Despite these delays over the holiday weekend, we're optimistic that the this process will be ironed out and we'll be back on the field and ready to compete for a championship soon," Click said.
MLB clubs are set to face only division foes and nearby rivals from the opposite league in a season cut to 60 games per club with playoffs scheduled as usual in October.
Structural efforts
The Nationals said Sunday that two of 60 players were positive for COVID-19 and did not show up at the ballpark, but manager Dave Martinez said those results came from tests taken last Wednesday.
Nationals pitcher Sean Doolittle said the team had not received COVID-19 safety masks and gloves and stressed in tweets Sunday night the need for faster results.
"We need help to make this work. Faster test results, PPE for high risk individuals and players/staff with high risk family members.
"The individual efforts have been great so far but we can't rely solely on individuals. The efforts have to be structural as well," Doolittle said.
"I brought these things up because I want to play. I want there to be a season. And I want everyone to be as safe as possible.
"The sooner we figure these things out, the better chance we have to resume the 2020 season."