MLB could potentially pivot to using seven-inning doubleheaders in 2020, according to The Athletic's Britt Ghiroli.
The MLB Players Association is asking its players to consider a rules change regarding doubleheaders in 2020, according to The Athletic's Britt Ghiroli.
The MLBPA's proposal would include either one 9-inning and one 7-inning game in a doubleheader, or alternatively a pair of 7-inning games, per Ghiroli. There could also be an extension for the period in which teams use the current 30-man roster, which was supposed to decline to 28 players after two weeks, and then to 26 men two weeks after that.
MLB has run into a slate of scheduling issues in the first week of the 2020 season. The Marlins will not play until Aug. 4 after over a dozen players tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days. Miami's stream of positive tests has sidelined the Phillies until Friday, and the Yankees had a pair of games with Philadelphia postponed due to the positive COVID-19 tests.
New York will take the field in Baltimore on Wednesday and Thursday instead of playing its series against the Phillies; the Orioles previously were scheduled to play the Marlins. Miami is the only team to register a positive test during the 2020 season.