Shutterstock
The St. Louis Cardinals are the latest MLB franchise to face an outbreak of the novel coronavirus and it turns out that recklessness from the players may have played a part. According to a report from MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, multiple players on the team had made the trip to a casino before the outbreak struck.
Initially, three Cardinals players and four staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. That number has since jumped to seven players and six staff members.
As a result of the outbreak, the Cardinals canceled their series with the Detroit Tigers.
Despite the Cardinals becoming the latest team to see a coronavirus outbreak, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said that the league will continue to push forward.
“We are playing,” Manfred told ESPN’s Karl Ravech. “The players need to be better, but I am not a quitter in general and there is no reason to quit now. We have had to be fluid, but it is manageable.”
Negligence has been a big factor in the outbreaks of the Cardinals and Florida Marlins. While the Cardinals players decided to take a casino trip, members of the Marlins reportedly went to a club before COVID-19 infected their dugout. It goes to show the importance of social distancing and safety measures.
The MLB also has strict rules against teams leaving their team hotel, so hopeful the players will start to take everything more seriously if they hope to play out the season.
