Phillies test negative again, return to action tonight

The Philadelphia Phillies learned this morning that their latest round of COVID-19 tests came back negative, and as a result, are heading out to New York to play the Yankees this evening.

This will be the Phillies’ first action since last Wednesday, when they played a Miami Marlins team that we now know had over a dozen infected players, plus several infected staffers. Out of abundance of caution, the Phillies postponed their games slated for Monday through Thursday against the Baltimore Orioles, and then, after three rapid result tests brought back positives, they postponed their weekend series, as well.

Two of the positives, however, turned out to be false positives, and the third positive was not definitively from the Marlins series, per MLB. With the recent spate of clean tests, the Phillies are now back in action, though they will have to shake off the rust from a week-long layoff. While MLB in general has every reason to be angry with the Marlins, whose outbreak appears to be due to not following MLB’s COVID-19 protocols (though not necessarily from being out clubbing in Atlanta), the Phillies right now have the reason to be the angriest, since they’ve been subjected to several days of having to isolate and a week of no action, and now will be having to play multiple doubleheaders the rest of the way to try to make up those games.

The St. Louis Cardinals, meanwhile, are continuing to isolate at their hotel in Milwaukee, after having a pair of positive tests on Thursday. Reports indicate the Cardinals have since had two more confirmed positives, as well as four inconclusive tests, and the team is in limbo while they wait for confirmation one way or the other about the four individuals who were inconclusive, as well as whether any additional individuals test positive.