Colorado Rockies: Charlie Blackmon’s positive test just the tip of the iceberg

Charlie Blackmon of the Colorado Rockies is the first MLB star to test positive for coronavirus. He will not be the last.

Moments after it was announced that baseball was coming back, reports indicated that Charlie Blackmon and two other Colorado Rockies players had tested positive for coronavirus. The other two players, according to the Denver Post, are Phillip Diehl and Ryan Castellani.

It was a stark reminder that what shut the sport and the country down back in March is still very much a part of our lives.

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Just this week, seven states have reported new highs for coronavirus hospitalizations, according to the Washington Post. Those states include the home of the Cactus League, Arizona, Arkansas, California, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Texas.

Florida, the home of the grapefruit league, saw the state add a record 5,500 cases in a single day just yesterday, according to news reports.

Speaking of Florida, just last week, spring camps for various MLB teams had to shut down because of an apparent COVID outbreak in the Tampa area of the state of Florida. The Philadelphia Phillies shut down their spring facilities in Clearwater after 8 members of the team and staff test positive for coronavirus. The Toronto Blue Jays also closed their facilities in Dunedin after a player exhibited COVID-symptoms.

These developments led to teams seeking permission to conduct their Spring Training 2.0 in their home parks. The New York Yankees and the New York Mets, for example, will abandon their spring facilities in favor of the Bronx and Queens.

As we get closer to Spring Training 2.0 — or Summer Camp — we should expect to see more positive tests as all players will be required to be tested before joining their teams. Any player that tests positive will not be able to rejoin his team until he tests negative twice in a 24-hour window.

According to ESPN, between Charlie Blackmon and the two other Colorado Rockies players who tested positive for the virus, two were asymptomatic. These players will not be allowed to join their team until they can meet the requirements detailed in the league’s health and safety protocol.