Major League Baseball shared with its players’ union this weekend a 67-page draft of health protocols that would have to be implemented for an abbreviated 2020 season. The Athletic and Associated Press obtained copies of the document, which is just a first proposal and will have to be negotiated with the union.
All those provisions and more are part of the proposal, which seeks to ensure the game can safely return amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among the other elements of the plan:
*No Spitting
* Team mascots are prohibited.
* Teams will be encouraged to avoid showering in the stadiums to the extent possible, even coming to and from the game in their uniforms.
* Players won’t be crammed in the dugouts. Instead, empty stands near the dugout would be used for overflow players.
* Managers and coaches must wear masks while in the dugout. Everyone must wear masks while on buses and flights.
* MLB has seemingly considered every possibility, even providing diagrams showing how teams might conduct defensive drills while maintaining social distancing.