MLB Announces 38 Positive COVID-19 Tests Out of More Than 3,000 Samples

MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association announced the first set of results for COVID-19 testing on Friday.

MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association announced the first set of results for COVID-19 testing on Friday, publishing that just 1.2% of samples collected found positive tests or 38 tests out of 3,185 samples.

The MLB and MLBPA said that of those 38 positive tests, 31 came from players while seven resulted from staff members. Additionally, 19 different clubs had one or more individuals test positive during intake testing.

The tests administered occurred prior to the workouts and full baseball activities, which began Friday.

By comparison, the NBA announced Thursday that 25 of 351 players have tested positive for COVID-19 since testing began on June 23.

Prior the release of MLB's results, numerous players announced that they had opted out of the 2020 season, including Nationals infielder Ryan Zimmerman and Rockies infielder/outfielder Ian Desmond. MLB is expected to begin its 60-game regular season on July 23.