Prior to Major League Baseball temporarily suspending operations due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Los Angeles Dodgers were two weeks away from beginning their journey toward what many expected would be a World Series championship.
As the situation worsened in the United States, MLB informed all 30 teams that camps would be closed to adhere to social distancing guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Most players returned to their offseason home to continue Spring Training workouts, including Kenley Jansen, who revealed he has thrown multiple bullpen sessions off a portable mound.
Now that states have reopened to some degree, teams have ramped up workouts in preparation of a 2020 season. A plan for one can be finalized at any moment, and all indications point to that happening by next week at the very latest.
Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has encouraged the club’s pitchers to throw bullpen sessions at Camelback Ranch as opposed to other mounds they come across in the area, via Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times:
“In Arizona, we’ve had guys throwing off mounds that I wouldn’t let a high schooler throw off of,” said Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations. “So we’ve tried to time it where guys’ bullpens can be at Camelback Ranch instead of makeshift mounds that they came across in Phoenix.”
Friedman also revealed that players are responsibly taking part in workouts at Dodger Stadium and Camelback Ranch:
“Right now, we’ve found a good balance where guys can get their work in and have us err on the side of caution,” Friedman said, alluding to measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. “In L.A., it’s predominately focused on [rehabilitating players] and guys focusing on responsible ways of getting in some work. In Arizona, it’s been a little more opened up, but we’re still restricting various aspects, all the while knowing it could be accelerated pretty quickly.”
Though the Dodgers received permission from government officials to utilize Dodger Stadium for workouts, there are still restrictions players must be aware of.
Training room and field access is currently limited to two players at a time, with workouts alternating every two hours.
Meanwhile in Arizona, the guidelines are a little more loose. A handful of players can be on the field at any time, whether it’s to take ground balls or face live pitching.
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