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MLB-MARLINS-VIRUS Marlins season suspended through Sunday
MIAMI (AP) — Major League Baseball has temporarily suspended the Miami Marlins’ season through Sunday because of their worsening coronavirus outbreak.
And the three remaining games in this week’s New York Yankees-Philadelphia Phillies series also were postponed because of virus worries.
In a statement Tuesday, MLB said it wanted to allow the Marlins time to focus on providing care for their players and plan for a resumption of play early next week. The Marlins remained stranded in Philadelphia, where they played last weekend.
The Phillies-Yankees games through Thursday were postponed “out of an abundance of caution,” MLB said, although no Phillies players have tested positive.
Dr. Anthony Fauci says the Miami Marlins’ coronavirus outbreak could endanger the Major League Baseball season, but he doesn’t believe games needs to stop now.
MLB-WHITE SOX-RENTERIA
White Sox manager returns after being isolated
CLEVELAND (AP) — Chicago White Sox manager Rick Renteria has returned to the team after being isolated for 24 hours with COVID-19 symptoms. He passed MLB’s virus protocol and arrived at Progressive Field about an hour before the White Sox played their first road game this season and a doubleheader against the Indians.
Renteria woke up Monday with a “slight cough and nasal congestion” and went to a Cleveland hospital for tests as a precautionary measure. The 58-year-old had been kept at the team’s hotel awaiting test results and medical clearance.
MLB-METS-MAXWELL
AP source: Mets to sign C Maxwell, 1st MLB player to kneel
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets have agreed to a minor league contract with catcher Bruce Maxwell, the first major league player to kneel during the national anthem to protest racial injustice in 2017. That's according to a person familiar with the deal.
Maxwell began kneeling during the anthem late in his rookie season with the Oakland Athletics in 2017, about a year after San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sparked the protest movement in the NFL.
Elsewhere in the majors:
— The Kansas City Royals signed former All-Star Matt Harvey to a minor league contract. The Royals announced the move before Tuesday night’s game at Detroit. The 31-year-old Harvey has struggled to recapture the form that made him a key member of the New York Mets when they faced Kansas City in the 2015 World Series. Harvey went 3-5 with a 7.09 ERA in 12 starts for the Los Angeles Angels last year. The right-hander made 28 starts the previous season for the Mets and Cincinnati Reds.
MLB-ROYALS-MAHOMES
Chiefs quarterback joining Royals ownership
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes is joining the ownership group of the Kansas City Royals. The Royals announced the addition of Mahomes, the star quarterback who led the Kansas City Chiefs to a Super Bowl title last season, on Tuesday. Mahomes was once a baseball prospect and was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 2014. He says he loves the people of Kansas City and is excited to deepen his roots in the community. Mahomes’ decision to focus on football certainly worked out for him, but his baseball ties run deep. His father Pat pitched in more than 300 big league games, mostly as a reliever.
NFL-PATRIOTS-HIGHTOWER
Patriots' Hightower opts out
BOSTON (AP) — A person familiar with the situation says New England Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower has decided to opt out of the 2020 season.
The source says Hightower’s decision was made out of concern for the health of his fiancée and child, who was born earlier this month.
Two other people told the AP that starting right tackle Marcus Cannon and fullback Danny Vitale have also chosen to sit out the season, citing health concerns.
In other NFL developments:
— The Tennessee Titans have placed their top draft pick on the COVID-19/reserve list. Coach Mike Vrabel announced that move Tuesday at the end of a 40-minute video conference call with reporters. The Titans drafted offensive lineman Isaiah Wilson with the No. 29 pick overall out of Georgia, and Wilson remains the one member of their six-man draft class that has yet to agree to a contract.
— Two people with direct knowledge of the decision have confirmed to The Associated Press that Buffalo Bills starting defensive tackle Star Lotulelei is voluntarily opting out from playing this season. The 30-year-old Lotulelei has seven years of NFL experience and was entering his third season with the Bills. He has two years remaining on his contract, which will now run through 2022.
— Denver Broncos defensive tackle Kyle Peko has decided not to play this season because of concerns over the coronavirus. Peko is a fifth-year pro who was in his second stint with the Broncos. A year ago, Peko left the Buffalo Bills’ training camp to be with his wife as she battled cancer. The couple later said she was cancer free.
—The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed running back Wendell Smallwood to a one-year deal, giving the backfield a bit of experienced depth heading into training camp. Smallwood joins a group that includes James Conner, Benny Snell Jr., Jaylen Samuels and rookie Anthony McFarland.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-EARLY START
Teams allowed to begin season early
UNDATED (AP) — The NCAA is allowing all major college football teams to begin their seasons as early as Aug. 29.
The association confirmed that the football oversight committee had requested a blanket waiver to permit any school to push up the start of its season to the so-called Week Zero.
The official start of the season had been Labor Day weekend, with a few games scheduled for Aug. 29. That was before the coronavirus pandemic put the season in peril and schedules were remade to deal with potential disruptions of COVID-19.
Some schools and conferences are working on delaying the start of their football seasons while others are trying to get a head start. Kansas and Oklahoma from the Big 12 have both recently moved up their opening games against FCS opponents to Aug. 29.
In other virus-related sports developments:
— A women’s professional tennis tournament that was supposed to be played in Tokyo in November has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, the latest event scratched from the sport’s calendar. The Toray Pan Pacific Open already had been postponed from September because of the COVID-19 outbreak that has put the WTA and ATP tours on hold since March. Two-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka won that title last year.
— Real Madrid says forward Mariano has tested positive for the coronavirus. The announcement comes as the team returns to practice ahead of its Champions League match against Manchester City on Aug. 7.
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