Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander David Price wants to know how Major League Baseball will respond after a COVID-19 outbreak infected more than a dozen Miami Marlins players and coaches over the weekend.
The hurler opted out of the 2020 campaign on July 4 because of concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. He tweeted Monday after MLB postponed two games because of the Marlins' outbreak:
Now we REALLY get to see if MLB is going to put players health first. Remember when Manfred said players health was PARAMOUNT?! Part of the reason I’m at home right now is because players health wasn’t being put first. I can see that hasn’t changed.
— David Price (@DAVIDprice24) July 27, 2020
After the pandemic forced MLB to cancel the rest of spring training and postpone the beginning of the season in March, league commissioner Rob Manfred and the MLBPA discussed player safety as part of a return-to-play plan that included extensive COVID-19 protocols.
“We hope that we will be able to convince the vast majority of our players that it's safe to return to work," Manfred said on CNN, according to The Houston Chronicle's Chandler Rome. "At the end of the day, however, if there are players with either health conditions or their own personal doubts, we would never force them to come back to work."
Players who opted out of the season wouldn't be eligible for the prorated portion of their 2020 salary unless a doctor deemed them high risk, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich reported in June.
Price is the most notable player sitting out the 2020 campaign. Others who opted out include Washington Nationals infielder Ryan Zimmerman and Colorado Rockies outfielder Ian Desmond.
