Several days after restricting clubhouse access to players and essential team personnel, Major League Baseball moved to cancel remaining Spring Training games and delayed the start of the 2020 season.
MLB’s initial decision pushed back Opening Day for two weeks, though the situation was considered fluid. Sure enough, an April 9 start was eventually ruled out, and now mid-May appears to be the earliest games would begin.
At the time of cancelling Cactus League and Grapefruit League games, club were under the expectation of still being able to hold workouts at their respective Spring Training facilities. That was clarified to only be informal activities, but gatherings were then banned under recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).