Blue Jays could fly home by Saturday
Team awaiting test results
It’s about as close to business as usual for the Blue Jays at the team’s Florida headquarters in Dunedin.
Players shared excitement for the season (strange and uncertain as it is) that awaits. They caught up on life in the quarantine (as opposed to a normal off-season hiatus) and as much as possible enjoyed the camaraderie of a COVID-19 clubhouse.
And then there were the tests, the most unpleasant piece of business of the reunion and one that will soon become part of the ball players’ regimen — a task not nearly as enjoyable as the usual routines around the batting cage and bullpen.
No one is getting too settled in at TD Ballpark just yet, however, as it is still believed the stay at the team’s spring training base will be short-lived.
Jays personnel remain optimistic the team will be on its way back north to the Rogers Centre for the bulk of training camp, possibly as soon as Saturday. It was originally hoped that flight would have occurred first on Wednesday and then Friday, but it’s hardly a worst-case development given the lingering uncertainty of where they will be based for the postponed and abbreviated 60-game season.
Officially, the Jays are still awaiting final clearance from the federal government to proceed to Toronto for close to three weeks of training camp under modified quarantine conditions.
Though each MLB team is allowed to host as many as three exhibition games, intra-squad contests are another possible means of preparation for the season.
Those around the team are clinging to the belief that a charter will be on its way by the weekend and, in fact, a plane is at the ready nearby.
While the Jays will be operating under different logistical circumstances, it is likely encouraged by the fact that Toronto and Edmonton have been cleared to be hockey playoff hubs, which could work in favour of the country’s only big-league baseball team.
With clearance from the feds still delayed, the Jays opted to mobilize in Dunedin to at least get the medical testing for the virus out of the way. TD Ballpark also remains as the prime backup plan for the regular season.
On Wednesday, the players parking lot at the renovated spring training facility was full as testing was under way while a truck with the team’s equipment remained at the ready.
Once in Canada, the Jays plan to work under a quarantine environment, staying at the Marriott Hotel attached to the Rogers Centre and practising on the field below. The stadium’s grounds crew has been working on readying the field this week.