Major League Baseball is expected to suspend the remainder of spring training Thursday in response to the coronavirus pandemic, sources tell ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Sources tell Passan that they expect the league will likely delay the beginning of the regular season as well.
The league’s owners will hold a conference call Thursday afternoon to formalize the plan.
MLB was scheduled to open its season on March 26, with all 30 teams in action.
The Seattle Mariners had already announced that their games would be moved from Seattle through April 1, following the state of Washington’s decision to ban large group events as a response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Spring training games are currently being played, but players have been awaiting a decision. On Thursday, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher David Price walked into the team’s facility and said: “It’s gotta happen. This is so much bigger than sports. I’ve got two kids.”
Multiple teams have already pulled scouts off the road and sent them home because of coronavirus concerns, sources say. Others have simply canceled travel.