Several MLB Players and Team Staff Test Positive for CCP Virus: Report

A baseball with MLB logo is seen at Citizens Bank Park before a game between the Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies in Philadelphia, Pa., on June 28, 2018. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Several Major League Baseball players and team staff have reportedly tested positive for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus.

It is unknown how many players or staff have tested positive, or which teams have been impacted, according to USA Today.

The news of the positive tests was released in a letter obtained by USA Today sent from MLB’s Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem to Player’s Association attorney Bruce Meyer, as the two sides work to come up with a formal agreement to get the player’s back onto the field, to salvage at least some of the season.

“The proliferation of COVID-19 outbreaks around the country over the last week, and the fact that we already know of several 40-man roster players and staff who have tested positive, has increased the risks associated with commencing spring training in the next few weeks,” Halem wrote.

The two sides are trying to hammer out complicated issues like player compensation, quarantine measures for players, and the number of games to be played.

Several players are publicly questioning the leaking of the letter, on social media, as negotiations between the two sides have taken a turn for the worse in recent days.

Washington Nationals pitcher Sean Doolittle tweeted on June 15, “First, I hope everyone is feeling ok and recovering well. But the timing of this leak is suspicious and it feels really gross.”

Sean Doolittle #63 of the Washington Nationals delivers the pitch against the Houston Astros during the seventh inning in Game Five of the 2019 World Series at Nationals Park in Washington on Oct. 27, 2019. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)

New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso added, “It’s almost as if they planned it.” Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo wrote “Good timing.”

CNN has reached out to MLB and the players’ union for confirmation about this report.

The CNN Wire and Epoch Times staff contributed to this report