MLB season already sees a COVID-19 delay as Mets-Nationals Opening Day game is postponed

Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals
(Image credit: Eric Espada/Getty Images)

The MLB season isn't exactly getting off to the best start.

The Opening Day game between the Washington Nationals and the New York Mets that was scheduled for Thursday has been postponed over COVID-19 concerns, the Nationals has confirmed.

The team cited "ongoing contact tracing involving members of the Nationals organization." One player for the Nationals tested positive for COVID-19 this week, and four players and one staff member were in quarantine as of Wednesday, The Washington Post reports.

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A new day for the game hasn't been set, but the Nationals did say that, "out of an abundance of caution," it won't be played on Friday, either. ESPN's Buster Olney reports that the "hope among those involved" is that the game will be played on Saturday, but "the situation is fluid." Brendan Morrow

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.