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Major League Baseball closing clubhouses to media because of coronavirus threat

The media had access to the Phillies clubhouse before and after Monday's game. That won't be the case on Tuesday.

Didi Gregorius, right, talks with reporters inside the clubhouse at the start of spring training.
Didi Gregorius, right, talks with reporters inside the clubhouse at the start of spring training.Read moreDAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer
    by Matt Breen
    Published 

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Major League Baseball will close its clubhouses to the media, a source confirmed Monday, as the league continues to take measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The news, which was first reported by ESPN, comes after the NBA and NHL took similar action. Baseball owners held a conference call Monday evening with MLB officials. The Phillies clubhouse at Spectrum Field was open before, during, and after the team’s 3-1 win over the Yankees on Monday. But it will be closed Tuesday.

ESPN reported that teams will make players available via news conferences and interviews outside the clubhouse, but that media members and players will stay six feet apart, according to guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control. The Phillies instructed their players on Saturday to not sign autographs for fans as a precaution.

The Phillies have 14 spring-training games left in Florida before opening the season on March 26 in Miami. They then play the Mets in New York, which has declared a state of emergency because of coronavirus. But MLB does not have plans to postpone or cancel any games.