Yankees president: Fans should be eased in once allowed to return

Optimism is growing that Major League Baseball will be able to play games this summer without fans, and New York Yankees president Randy Levine said when fans are eventually allowed to attend games, Yankee Stadium won't be at full capacity immediately.

"I believe that we're putting together all the protocols, but I think you ease in with fans," Levine told Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. "You start with less fans. You have temperature taking. You have health stations. You do a lot of testing. If people have a temperature or they aren't feeling well, you take them to a health station. You wear masks and gloves. You only serve food that won’t impede that."

Levine, who also noted that "it would be pretty cool to have some Yankee masks and gloves out there," didn't give a hard timeline for fans being permitted to attend games. He's hopeful of that happening because some public health people have said "they believe the virus will wane in the summer months."

Levine's comments come one day after a report surfaced indicating the league plans to notify players shortly of a return-to-play plan. The details of the plan are not yet known, but the belief is a season could get underway in July and include 80-100 games.