Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez confirmed that players voted against going to Florida to play the Miami Marlins in a three-game series scheduled to start Friday, according to Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com.
Major League Baseball changed the schedule Tuesday. The Nationals won't travel to Miami and will have Friday through Sunday off after the league postponed their series with the Marlins.
The Marlins are dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak in which at least 17 players and coaches have reportedly tested positive. Florida is a major hot spot for the coronavirus, as cases have surged to record levels in the state over the last few weeks.
"(The players' vote) had everything to do with the state of Florida," Martinez said Tuesday.
Miami's first home series of the season was postponed Monday, along with that day's scheduled contest between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees after the Marlins played the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park over the weekend. Tuesday's Phillies-Yankees game was also postponed by the league, but no Philadelphia players or coaches have tested positive yet following the Marlins series.
