Dodgers Confirm Multiple COVID-19 Cases Within The Club

LOS ANGELES, CA —The Dodgers may start preseason training next week without a full roster after some members of the organization tested positive for the coronavirus, President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman said Friday.

The Dodgers join the Los Angeles Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays and Colorado Rockies in acknowledging that staffers or players have contracted COVID-19. The league has mandated testing as it attempts to start the season amids the pandemic. Major League Baseball announced an extensive series of health guidelines and could shut down the season if the outbreak worsens.

Friedman declined to say who amon the Dodgers was sick. However, none of those who tested positive for COVID-19 have had "symptoms that have been problematic," Friedman told reporters on a conference call Thursday. Friedman said he didn't know if the diagnosis would delay any players from reporting for preseason training at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday.

"It's definitely possible, but I don't know for sure," Friedman said.

According to USA TOday, at least 40 staffers or players in MLB has been confirmed to have the virus. The outbreak prompted MLB to order clubs to close their training complexes in Florida and Arizona and conduct preseason training in July at their home stadiums

The coronavirus "is front of mind for all of us," Friedman said. The Dodgers "are trying to handle this in the way that we think best. We're figuring this out, working as we go."

Friedman said "there's no question we're going to have a decent number of positive tests in spring training and the season."

"To me, it's much more about how quick we are to respond to that, the treatment options, the quarantining part of it, making sure it doesn't spread among the group," Friedman said.

"And to the extent that we can contain it, and we have really good health and safety protocols in place, I think it's something that collectively, as a group, everyone working together, I think its something we can manage. But anyone who pretends like they can sit here today and tell you exactly how things are going to play out, I don't subscribe to that, I don't agree with it.

"There's a lot we don't know. A lot of our conversations internally has just been about staying on our toes, staying nimble and trying to communicating our way through everything, read and react as things pop up. That's our plan. As we learn more, we'll get smarter with how we do things."

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.