Less than a week before pitchers and catchers are due at spring training, MLB released its 2021 health and safety protocols designed to help players and staff navigate through a full season in a pandemic.
Some features, like the shortened doubleheaders with seven-inning games and a runner beginning extra innings on second base, are holdovers from 2020 and don’t favor or harm any one team.
Other aspects might be of particular interest to the Orioles, who in 2020 at the major league level had only outfielders Anthony Santander and Dwight Smith Jr. test positive for COVID-19 upon reporting to summer camp and also had right-hander Alex Cobb and first baseman Chris Davis miss time out of precaution.