UPDATED: 5:21 p.m.
No players have tested positive for the third consecutive day, but the Phillies say results from Wednesday’s tests showed that a member of the coaching staff and a member of the home clubhouse staff both have COVID-19.
It’s a sad end to a week that has been quite eventful for the Phillies, despite not having played since Sunday.
The Phillies had been hoping to play a double-header against the Blue Jays this Saturday at Citizens Bank Park, following the postponement from Friday. It's unclear if those games will proceed.
Klentak said the “two-fold goal” has been to keep players and staff healthy and to play as many games as possible.
"And if that comes with some competitive imbalances, that’s just something that we’re gonna have to live with," Klentak said.
"We all recognize this season was gonna present a lot of challenges, and that all parties involved — players, teams, everybody — we’re gonna need to be flexible," he said.
And while it’s well documented that Marlins players were fine with playing on Sunday despite an outbreak, Klentak explained MLB ultimately decides whether games happen or not.
"There were others at the league level that knew about the positive tests before we did, so the determination was made at that point that it was safe," she said.
However, now it seems that the virus has traveled from one clubhouse to the other.
He says the Phils will keep up daily testing for the foreseeable future.
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