MIAMI — Miami Marlins player representative Tom Koehler says the team attended a seminar on the Zika virus that heightened concerns about playing two games in Puerto Rico against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 30-31.
A decision is expected by the end of the week regarding whether the games will be played as scheduled or moved, Koehler said Tuesday.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave a presentation on the disease to the Marlins and representatives of Major League Baseball and the players’ union.
“The information was more shocking to both sides,” Koehler said. “Maybe shocking isn’t the correct word, but there was a lot more information and data and numbers thrown our way that we didn’t have.”
Marlins players voted on whether to play the games as scheduled, said Koehler. He declined to share the result but said there’s a lot of concern within the clubhouse about playing in Puerto Rico.
If moved, the games would likely be played in Miami, because the Marlins are the home team.
MLB officials, the Marlins and Pirates said last month they expected the games to be played as scheduled, but union head Tony Clark described the health and safety concerns as serious. U.S. health officials say Puerto Rico is the front lines of the nation’s battle with Zika.
The CDC has said Zika can cause a birth defect called microcephaly, where infants are born with unusually small heads. The virus is most often spread by mosquito bites, but it also can be spread through sexual intercourse.
TIGERS-RANGERS: Catcher Bobby Wilson was traded from Detroit back to Texas for minor league pitcher Chad Bell.
Wilson batted .154 (2 for 13) with two RBI in five games with the Tigers. He was acquired from the Rangers for catcher Bryan Holaday on March 29.
WHITE SOX: Chicago plans to cut John Danks on Thursday, ending the left-hander’s 10-year run with the team.
Danks has never been the same since he had shoulder surgery in 2012. He dropped his first four starts this season, prompting the White Sox to make a move.
Erik Johnson will be promoted to pitch against the Red Sox.
PADRES: The Padres announced that left-handed pitcher Robbie Erlin will undergo Tommy John surgery on his injured elbow.
Erlin was placed on the 15-day disabled list on April 21 with a left elbow strain after pitching in three games for the Padres, including two starts, and went 1-2 with a 4.02 ERA. An MRI showed a significant tear and that rest and rehabilitation would no longer be an option.
REDS: The bullpen set a major league record by giving up a run for the 21st consecutive game.
Kelby Tomlinson’s RBI infield single off Caleb Cotham put the Giants up 2-1 in the eighth inning on Tuesday night, the 21st straight game in which the Reds’ bullpen allowed at least one run. The Reds had been tied with the 2013 Colorado Rockies for the major league record since 1900.
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