Rob Manfred: Cardinals Can Have 'Credible' Season Despite Coronavirus Delay

The Cardinals haven't played in nearly two weeks, but MLB commissioner Rob Manfred thinks the club can still "be a credible competitor" this season.

The Cardinals haven't played since July 29, and plenty of questions remain about how they'll handle their schedule moving forward.

The club is unlikely to make up all of their missed games. While MLB commissioner Rob Manfred hasn't provided a scheduling model for the Cardinals moving forward, he believes they can finish the season in some capacity.

"I think whether you get all the way to 60 or not, that's difficult at this point," Manfred told The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I think that they are going to play. I think it's possible for them to play enough games to be credible, to be a credible competitor this season."

MLB plans to use a team's winning percentage as a determining factor for postseason standings and berths if it hasn't played the full 60-game schedule. The league expanded 2020's postseason to include 16 teams and is reportedly exploring a bubble format for the playoffs.

St. Louis has only played five games out of 60, while some teams have held up to 18. The Cardinals have 55 games left to squeeze into 44 days, which would be difficult to pull off even with doubleheaders. 

The club has gone into quarantine twice since its outbreak. After their first two positive tests were announced on July 31, the Cardinals stayed in their Milwaukee hotel for multiple days. After the club was cleared to leave Milwaukee on Aug. 5, they were forced back into quarantine in St. Louis two days later. The team's number of positive cases eventually rose to 17, including 10 players. 

St. Louis is currently scheduled to resume its season against the White Sox in Chicago on Friday.

"I absolutely see a path back for the Cardinals," Manfred said of the Cardinals' season. "That is dependent on getting enough days with no positives that we're comfortable that we don’t have any contagion risk. But 100% I see a path back."