MLB intake testing yielded 66 positive results

Major League Baseball completed the intake coronavirus testing required for players and staff to be ready for summer camp workouts, an eight-day process that yielded a total of 66 positive results.

The union informed players Tuesday night that the intake process had ended after administering and completing 3,740 tests, yielding 3,674 negative results (98.2%) and 66 positive tests (58 players and 8 club staff members), according to an email obtained by ESPN.

The second phase after the intake process, known as the “monitoring phase,” has also already begun. Players were informed that the first batch of monitoring results were submitted Tuesday night. The first round of monitoring included 2,111 saliva tests, with 2,101 negative results (99.5%) and 10 positive results (8 players, 2 staff members).

MLB admitted there were issues processing samples as part of the monitoring and testing plan, which led to several clubs having to cancel their daily workouts due to lack of information about their tests’ status. The Washington Nationals, Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants all canceled workouts, and three other teams had to alter their schedule, due to failures delivering results in a timely manner.

The intake screening for individuals without symptoms of COVID-19 had three phases, a temperature check, a body fluid sample (saliva or oral/nasal swab) for diagnostic/PCR testing and blood collection for serology/antibody testing.

After finishing with the intake screening, that person was required to self-quarantine until the results are reported, approximately 24-48 hours after the initial entry test. If that test is negative, which indicates that individual does not have transmissible COVID-19, that person may report to summer camp.

Players were scheduled to report to their home stadium by Wednesday, July 1. When MLB released the preliminary results of intake testing last week, out of 3,185 samples, it stated that 38 players (1.2%) tested positive.

The 2020 operations manual agreed upon by MLB and the MLBPA established protocols that call for all players and team personnel to be tested every other day for the rest of the season and postseason, with access to the results within 24 to 48 hours.