Cubs’ Steven Souza Calls Out Player Behavior Amid Reports Of A Potential MLB Shut Down
Chicago Cubs outfielder Steven Souza Jr. is not pleased with how some Major League Baseball players have been conducting themselves since the league restarted earlier this month. On Friday, he took to Twitter to share his displeasure about the mini coronavirus outbreaks that have popped up on several different teams this week.
“Every player in this league better take a hard look at what you’re doing off the field,” Souza wrote. “Because what you do affects, more than just you and your team. Your decisions off the field will put all of our seasons in jeopardy this year.”
Souza’s post came just hours after a report surfaced which stated that MLB commissioner Rob Manfred had warned the player’s association that the baseball season was in danger of ending. As The Inquisitr reported earlier in the day, the warning came because teams continue to see small coronavirus outbreaks in their clubhouses.
On Monday, a series between the Miami Marlins and the Baltimore Orioles was postponed because more than a dozen Marlins tested positive for COVID-19. Now, 18 members of that ball club have tested positive. There currently isn’t any solid information about how the virus is spreading within the sport, however, there has been rampant speculation about the fact that the Marlins have experienced a widespread team outbreak while other teams have only had a few people catch the virus.
The Philadelphia Phillies, who just finished a series with Miami, had two people in its franchise test positive as well, though they were clubhouse staff.
What seemingly prompted both Manfred and Souza to issue their warnings on Friday night was a cancelation of a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers. Two members of the Cards also became infected with the virus. MLB does plan to allow the rest of that series to continue over the weekend, assuming no other members of either club get infected.
The report about the commissioner’s warning to the MLBPA included information about state and local government officials who weren’t happy about the way players have comported themselves since the season began. Those watching games saw a lack of social distancing in the dugout, high-fives, and even spitting. Spitting and high-fiving are explicitly mentioned in baseball’s 113-page manual on how not to behave in the middle of this pandemic.
While Souza wasn’t specific about which behaviors he had a problem with, his comments about “off the field” indicate he probably wasn’t speaking about the same issues Manfred was addressing.
