ST. PETERSBURG, Florida – The Tampa Bay Rays keep players and staff updated on the increase in COVID-19 cases in Florida.
Rays manager Kevin Cash said before Monday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners that the team’s coaching staff “are pretty adamant about messaging and keeping people up to speed” on the situation.
“See, we’re all worried,” Cash said. “I think the players are very aware. We are all with our fingers crossed that this is going to be overcome to some degree but at the moment we do not believe that is the case. So we try to do our part to keep our group as safe as possible. “
Florida registered 21,683 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, the highest number in a single day in the state since the start of the pandemic, according to federal health statistics.
The figures were released Saturday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDS).
The rise in infections has taken its toll on baseball in the Sunshine State.
Novice-level Philadelphia Phillies and Florida Complex League Class-A games were canceled or postponed in Clearwater. Other minor league teams in the state have placed players on the COVID-19 inactive list but have continued to play.
The Rays reliever, Nick anderson, was scheduled to join the Triple-A Durham team last Thursday to continue his rehabilitation after a sprained right elbow, but did not do so due to problems related to COVID-19.
Most of the employees who work inside Tropicana Field put the masks back on before Monday night’s game against the Mariners.
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