Phils say 2 more players, 2 staffers test positive; 12 total

FILE - In this April 7, 2017, file photo, members of the Philadelphia Phillies stretch before the team's baseball game against the Washington Nationals in Philadelphia. Five players for the Philadelphia Phillies have tested positive for COVID-19 at the team's spring camp in Florida, prompting the club to indefinitely close the complex. The team also said Friday, June 19, 2020, that three staff members at the camp have tested positive. The club didn't identify any of those affected. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) (Matt Rourke, Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Phillies say two more players and two additional staff numbers have tested positive for COVID-19, spiking the number of total members in the organization who have the virus to 12.

The Phillies said Tuesday all other tests within the organization have come back negative. One of the two players tested positive outside the team's spring complex in Clearwater, Florida.

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The Phillies did not identify anyone affected by COVID-19.

The Phillies shut their spring complex after five players tested positive on Friday for COVID-19. Philadelphia became the first big league team known to be struck by the outbreak. Three staff members at the camp also tested positive, and the Phillies didn’t identify any of those affected.

MLB responded Friday night by shutting down all 30 spring training sites in Florida and Arizona, states that have seen a recent spike in coronavirus cases, and ordering that they undergo thorough cleansing and sanitizing.

Other teams have reported positive tests without identifying the players affected.

The cases came as Major League Baseball moved closer to implementing a 60-game schedule for its shortest season since 1878 after the players’ association rejected a negotiated deal of the same length.

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