MLB to close spring training facilities in Arizona, Florida amid coronavirus spike

Major League Baseball decided to temporarily close all spring training camps in Arizona and Florida after multiple teams reported positive COVID-19 tests Friday.

An anonymous high-ranking MLB official informed USA Today and ESPN about the decision following an announcement Friday that an additional five Philadelphia Phillies players tested positive while training in Clearwater, Fla.

The Hill has reached out to MLB for an official statement but has not immediately heard back.

Other teams such as the Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants closed their facilities in Dunedin, Fla., and Scottsdale, Ariz., following reports from several players experiencing symptoms of the virus.

MLB is slated to resume spring training in two weeks, but recent upticks in virus cases in more than 20 states across the nation have called into question the attempts to resume the MLB season.

Commissioner Rob Manfred will reportedly mandate a start to the MLB season Monday if owners and players cannot come to an agreement.

Team owners want a 60-game season, while players are requesting a 70-game season, although the league does not want to see playoffs extend longer than October, citing concerns of a second COVID-19 wave in November.

On Thursday, Florida reported 3,207 new cases as the state hit an 11th day of records in its rolling case average.

Arizona also reported a new high of 2,519 cases, and hospitalizations have doubled in the state since the Memorial Day holiday.