Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
PHOENIX, Ariz. — Major League Baseball has come up with an alternative method for Giants players to interact with fans without overexposing themselves.
Concerned about passing pens and balls and handshakes back and forth as Coronavirus fears grip the nation — and Maricopa County, where the Giants’ spring training is held and where a second man recently became a “presumptive positive” case for the technically named COVID-19 — MLB has advised some teams, including the Giants, to pre-sign balls or other items in the clubhouse and then give those out to fans.
According to an MLB source, the league has been in touch with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to determine how best to handle the outbreak that threatens to become a pandemic. Giants trainer Dave Groeschner was on a call with the league Wednesday, in which MLB briefed him and all teams on limiting contact, based on CDC guidelines.
“Our medical staff is taking every possible precaution always and being mindful of what’s going on in society,” manager Gabe Kapler said Tuesday.
