The Philadelphia Phillies have canceled all activities at Citizens Bank Park, including a weekend series against the Blue Jays, after a member of the coaching staff and a member of the home clubhouse staff tested positive for the coronavirus, the team announced Thursday.
The Phillies said no players have tested positive.
As a result, Saturday’s doubleheader and Sunday’s game in Philadelphia have been postponed, said Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo, who told reporters that his team plans to remain in Washington for the weekend after completing their series Thursday with the Nationals.
“Our plans right now are to stay put and let MLB work through whatever they’re working through,” Montoyo said. “We’re not going to Philadelphia. Those games have been postponed. … We’re going to talk to the Nationals, see if we can work out here. If they say yes, we’ll stay and work out until MLB tells us where to go next.”
It’s the latest in a series of scheduling changes as Major League Baseball attempts to play a 60-game season amid a pandemic that is surging in parts of the United States.
The Phillies have not played since Sunday. They are currently not scheduled to play until a four-game series against the Yankees — in New York on Monday and Tuesday and at home Wednesday and Thursday.
Phillies center fielder Andrew McCutchen posted his reaction on Twitter, saying “This really sucks.”
All jokes aside… this really sucks.
— andrew mccutchen (@TheCUTCH22) July 30, 2020
The new positive tests Thursday come after an attendant for the visiting clubhouse tested positive after a weekend series against the Miami Marlins, who have had 19 positive tests in the past seven days, sources confirmed.
The Phillies were supposed to host the Yankees on Monday and Tuesday and then play them in New York on Wednesday and Thursday. Instead, the Yankees started a series against the Orioles on Wednesday.
The Blue Jays are stuck on the road because the Canadian government wouldn’t let them use their stadium in Toronto this season because of fears about teams traveling back and forth to the United States. Eventually, the Blue Jays are supposed to play home games at a minor league ballpark in Buffalo, but it isn’t ready.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.