No Fans In Stands To Begin 2020 Minnesota Twins Season

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — After a nearly three-month shutdown due to the coronavirus crisis, Major League Baseball is back, and opening day for the Minnesota Twins will be later this July.

Players will report for what baseball officials are calling "Spring Training 2.0" at their home fields by July 1, with regular season play expected to begin July 23-24.

Opening day will look a little different this year at Target Field, as the season will begin without fans in the stands. There's no word on whether the entire season will be played without fans.

This year's season will be 60 games and will feature a more geographical schedule designed to limit team travel across the U.S. The Minnesota Twins are slated to face only the AL Central and NL Central teams.

While fans will see an increase in divisional games, there will be a bunch of games against the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Cincinnati Reds.

A full schedule is forthcoming and has yet to be released to the public. Rosters will start with 30 players, and will draw down to 26 players by design. Instead of a July 31 trade deadline, it will now be Aug. 31.

New this year, players will be checked twice a day for temperature and COVID-19 symptoms. Players can also opt out of competition if they are considered high-risk or live with someone who's considered high-risk.

According to The Athletic reporter Dan Hayes, "several" players on the Twins have tested positive for COVID-19.

Scott Anderson, Patch Staff, contributed to this report