Nats' Zimmerman slams Arizona plan: Leaving family 'not going to happen'

Washington Nationals veteran first baseman Ryan Zimmerman isn't a fan of the reported plan to host the 2020 regular season in a centralized location in Arizona.

Zimmerman and his wife are expecting their third child in June, and he's not willing to go the entirety of the campaign without seeing his family.

"If this 'bubble' in Arizona was going to happen starting in May, you're trying to tell me I'm not going to be able to be with my wife and see my kid until October?" Zimmerman wrote for The Associated Press. "I'm going to go four or five months without seeing my kid when it's born? I can tell you right now that's not going to happen."

However, it was also reported that the league is discussing a possible scenario in which players' families accompany them to Arizona.

Though Zimmerman is against leaving his family for an entire season, he remains hopeful baseball will return in some capacity this year, as long as safety remains the top priority.

"I know everything's being done by everyone in good faith. We want to play; we want to give people something to watch on TV; people love sports," he wrote. "But you've got to consider the human element. Maybe pump the brakes a little bit. Maybe this wasn’t supposed to be leaked yet. I don't know if we're at the point to set this sort of thing up yet."

Other players, including Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado, have expressed interest in the plan, but they also stressed player safety.

MLB confirmed shortly after the report surfaced that hosting the season in a centralized area is just one of the ideas being considered.