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WEATHER ALERT

MLB

Play ball! A glance at locals on MLB rosters entering Opening Day

Pitcher Dane Dunning (Clay), shortstop Javier Baez (Arlington Country Day) and pitcher Adam Wainwright (Glynn Academy) are among the area players who are on Major League Baseball rosters on Opening Day. He’s penciled in as the tandem No. He’s a career .261 hitter in five big league seasons with 23 HR ad 126 RBI. OF Austin Hays, JU, Orioles, Hit .392 (20 for 51) with four HRs, 13 RBI in limited action in 2020. C Roberto Perez, Florida Gateway College, Indians, A career .271 hitter since coming into the bigs in 2010.

2 MLB players test positive for COVID-19 in past week

(AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter, File)NEW YORK – Two major league players and two staff members were positive for COVID-19 during the past week among 13,978 tests, a 0.03% positive rate. The positive tests were among 11 of the 30 teams. Including intake testing upon arrival at spring training, there have been 33 positive tests — 25 players, eight staff — among 78,227 tests, a positive rate of 0.04%. The positive tests were among 18 teams. All players on 40-man rosters and players with minor league contracts invited to big league training camps are screened.

That’s a wrap: Local product Daniel Murphy retires from baseball

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)Jacksonville native Daniel Murphy is retiring from Major League Baseball, wrapping up a 12-year career in the big leagues. Murphy, who played at Englewood High School and Jacksonville University, told SportsNet New York on Friday that he was retiring. “This is a beautiful game, and I really just feel humbled and blessed that it let me jump on the ride for a little bit,” Murphy told SNY. Murphy played seven seasons for the Mets and will be remembered the most for his time there, including a torrid postseason in 2015. But his best season came in 2016 with the Nationals where Murphy hit a career-highs in batting average (.347), home runs (25) and RBI (104).

Clay grad Dane Dunning relishing time in the big leagues

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dane Dunning’s path to the big leagues is a lesson in perseverance. And now, the former Clay High School and University of Florida star is one of the better stories in Major League Baseball since making his debut last month for the Chicago White Sox. Dunning, 25, is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 20 innings for the AL Central-leading White Sox. “I told my dad, day one when I played baseball, I want to be a Major League Baseball player. Dunning was placed in the White Sox major league player pool roster and called up for the first time on Aug. 19.

Cardboard fans? Masks? MLB is back, but it doesn’t look real -- these photos might weird you out

(2020 Getty Images)A lone Boston Red Sox employee eats a hot dog in the stands before a game between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park on July 26, 2020 in Boston. (2020 Getty Images)A peek at Tropicana Field during a game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Atlanta Braves on July 27, 2020 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (2020 Getty Images)A mask is placed on the Teammates Statue on Opening Day at Fenway Park on July 24, 2020 in Boston. (2020 Getty Images)A general view of of cardboard cutouts placed in the seats before the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on July 25, 2020. (2020 Getty Images)With information from the Associated Press.

Are sports leagues overburdening COVID-19 testing?

All of those leagues have COVID-19 testing as part of their return to play. Other leagues are also preparing to return to the season, which means massive numbers of test kits. USA Today estimates that between the major league sports leagues now playing, they are using 19,000 test kits per week. The players are pushing for more frequent testing, which would likely find more positive cases but would also demand many more test kits. Sports leagues are likely to continue testing and unless a league stops their season again because of COVID-19, the supply of test kits and laboratory time will continue to be stressed by sports’ return.

Blue Jays sign Trinity Christian grad Austin Martin to record deal

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Austin Martin slipped a few spots in the baseball draft but that didnt matter at all. The Toronto Blue Jays were thrilled to have Martin and paid him a record-setting bonus to prove it. The Trinity Christian grad signed a record contract with the Toronto Blue Jays and got a $7,000,825 bonus, nearly a million dollars more than what slot bonus called for. It was the second-highest bonus given to a player in this years draft class and the most ever given to a Blue Jays draft pick. He can play all over the field and his versatility could help the Blue Jays as early as this year if the team adds him to its 60-player pool.

Diamondbacks right-hander Leake opts out of 2020 season

PHOENIX Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Mike Leake has opted out of the 2020 season due to concerns about the coronavirus. Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen did not elaborate on Leake's decision during a Zoom call Monday but the pitcher's agent issued a statement saying he made a personal decision not to play during the pandemic. Hazen also said two players on Arizona's 60-man roster tested positive for COVID-19, as did another player not in Arizona. The 32-year-old Leake started 10 games for Arizona after being traded from Seattle for outfielder Jose Caballero and cash in 2019. Leake went 3-3 with a 4.35 ERA and was expected to be in the Diamondbacks' starting rotation during the 60-game 2020 season.

Giants OF, former Bolles star Austin Slater ready for MLB to return

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. The waiting game is just about over for Major League Baseball players, including one from the area. San Francisco outfielder Austin Slater, a former Bolles School star, is preparing to officially begin the 2020 season next week when players will begin reporting for spring training. Slater said that hes been working out and staying in shape at the Giants facility in Scottsdale, Ariz. Like all baseball players, hes ready to get back to work. I have been going into our spring training facility for the last seven weeks, but I have felt pretty comfortable, Slater said. And its about time that Slater and the rest of players can finally return to the field.

Players counter with 70-game season, 10 more than MLB

FILE - In this Feb. 19, 2017, file photo, Major League Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark, answers questions at a news conference in Phoenix. Commissioner Rob Manfred says there might be no major league season after a breakdown in talks between teams and the union on how to split up money in a season delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. As part of the union proposal, players would wear advertisement patches on their uniforms during all games for the first time in major league history. Both MLB and the union proposed starting the season on July 19, and players said it should end Sept. 30, three days later than management. Both sides would expand use of the designated hitter to games involving National League teams, and both sides would expand the playoffs to 16 teams this year.