(AP) The Kansas City Royals played their final intrasquad game Saturday as they continue to prepare for their season opener this coming Friday at Cleveland.
Manager Mike Matheney says they are still putting the roster together.
The Royals will play 3 exhibition games before Fridays season opener. Monday and Tuesday they host Houston. Wednesday they play at St. Louis. All 3 games will be broadcast on KVOE 1400AM/96.9FM.
Exhibition games in Washington, New York and Pittsburgh on Saturday gave Major League Baseball its first look at coronavirus-era games — cardboard cutouts for fans, sound effects for crowds and more. Still, for clubs limited to practices and intrasquads in their own ballparks for the past two weeks, Saturday stood as an important mile marker as the sport tries to start a shortened 60-game season Thursday amid a pandemic.
Umpires wore face masks, as did some players. Backups watched from the stands to maintain social distancing in dugouts. They all tried to follow safety protocols, including a ban on licking fingers or spitting.
The Blue Jays won’t play their home games in Toronto this year because Canada’s government doesn’t think it’s safe for players to travel back and forth from the United States.
The Canadian federal government has denied the Blue Jays’ request to play at Rogers Centre.
The Blue Jays are not sure where they will play their home games.
