As first reported by Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the St. Louis Cardinals became the latest baseball team to postpone a game because of positive COVID-19 tests.
Sources: Cardinals had positive tests, forcing postponement
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 31, 2020
Later clarification indicated the Cardinals may have as few as two positive tests and will be tested again today, meaning the rest of their series against the Milwaukee Brewers could be saved. So long as nobody else on the team tests positive, the Cardinals could in theory isolate the two infected players and move forward with their schedule.
#STLCards players are being tested again today. So results could determine rest of series. Hope of course is that it’s not an outbreak and just confined to the 2 players.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 31, 2020
The news broke the same morning that the Miami Marlins added yet another infection to their total, which put them at 18 positive tests, or 60 percent of the roster. As the NBA and NHL saw when teams who happened to ride on the same plane or play in the same arena back in the spring may have spread the disease that way, one team playing with the virus can create a ripple effect across the league.
Though no one within MLB is waiving the white flag yet, Ben Nicholson-Smith of SportsNet noted that with the Cardinals added to the list, one-fifth of the league will not play tonight as a result of postponed games due to positive tests.