Major League Baseball and the players' association agreed Tuesday to health and safety protocols for an abbreviated 60-game season beginning in late July.
One of the provisions agreed upon is that players considered to be high-risk can choose to sit out the season with pay while receiving service time, according to a 101-page operations manual obtained by Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic.
The league and union defined high-risk players as those "who, by virtue of their age and/or medical history, are at a materially higher risk of developing severe illness of complications from COVID-19 exposure." Team doctors will review medical histories and identify those within their organization who fit the description as well as those who live with or have regular contact with high-risk people.
Players not considered to be high-risk who are in close contact with higher-risk people can opt to sit out but will not be automatically guaranteed pay or service time. This could be treated on a team-by-team basis.
Non-players who receive a high-risk designation will reportedly also be dealt with on a team-by-team basis as there doesn't appear to be a league-wide policy in place.
