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NBC Sports | Craig Calcaterra: As of now, the Major League Baseball season has been suspended for two weeks, with the earliest that we could see Opening Day being April 9. According to insiders, Jeff Passan reported yesterday, expecting this outcome would be optimistic, and a sign that things have gone extremely well in the country. More likely than not, we’re not going to see baseball return until at least May — a sad scenario, but a necessary one.
NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: The sports world may have come to a halt, but that does not mean we have to stop talking about it. With the new Opening Day date up in the air, there’s still a plethora of questions that the Yankees need to answer. Who is going to be the fifth starter? Will Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton be ready for the new Opening Day? Can I have free tickets behind home plate? Okay, maybe that last one’s not a valid question, but still, there’s a lot of baseball things to talk about even without the games being played.
NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: Speaking of no games being played, there will still be action at Steinbrenner Field. Given the option to return home or to stay and continue spring training, the New York Yankees unanimously voted to remain in Tampa, according to Zack Britton, the Yankees’ MLBPA player rep, because they “want to be ready for whenever that opportunity [to compete for the World Series] comes.”
NJ.com | Mike Rosenstein: It’s entirely possible that members of the New York Yankees have been exposed to the coronavirus. The Mets’ director of player relations and community management, Donovan Mitchell Sr., is the father of Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, who has recently tested positive for the virus. As of now, it is unknown if the senior Mitchell had contracted the virus; if he tests positive, it is not out of the realm of possibility that he transmitted it to a Mets player. On Monday, the Mets visited the Marlins, whom the Yankees visited on Wednesday. While such a series of transfers may be unlikely, it does show just how easily the sports world can act as a conduit, and why it has been temporarily suspended.