MLB tells managers to expect on-time spring training start

FILE - In this Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020, file photo, Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner celebrates with the trophy after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 to win the baseball World Series in Game 6 in Arlington, Texas. Baseball nearly made it through its version of playoff bubbles unscathed; two innings before the World Series ended, Justin Turner of the now-champion Los Angeles Dodgers Turner was pulled from the game after MLB was notified that he had tested positive for COVID-19. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

A young fan waits for a player to sign his baseball during a Philadelphia Phillies spring training baseball workout Friday, Feb. 14, 2020, in Clearwater, Fla. Big league managers say that Major League Baseball has instructed them to prepare for spring training to start on time in mid-February despite uncertainty around the coronavirus. Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, that officials from the commissioner's office had a meeting with managers Tuesday an expressed optimism about opening spring camps as scheduled.(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Baseball fans stand at the window for ticket refunds outside Hammond Stadium, Monday, March 16, 2020, in Fort Myers, Fla., after Major League Baseball suspended the rest of its spring training game schedule because of the coronavirus outbreak. Big league managers say that Major League Baseball has instructed them to prepare for spring training to start on time in mid-February despite uncertainty around the coronavirus. Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, that officials from the commissioner's office had a meeting with managers Tuesday an expressed optimism about opening spring camps as scheduled. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

FILE - A gate at the Chicago Cubs practice facility at Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz., is closed and locked due to the coronavirus, in this Monday, March 16, 2020, file photo. Big league managers say that Major League Baseball has instructed them to prepare for spring training to start on time in mid-February despite uncertainty around the coronavirus. Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, that officials from the commissioner's office had a meeting with managers Tuesday an expressed optimism about opening spring camps as scheduled. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

FILE - Tampa Bay Rays pitchers and catchers throw after reporting for spring training baseball camp in Port Charlotte, Fla., in this Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020, file photo. Big league managers say that Major League Baseball has instructed them to prepare for spring training to start on time in mid-February despite uncertainty around the coronavirus. Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, that officials from the commissioner's office had a meeting with managers Tuesday an expressed optimism about opening spring camps as scheduled. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)

FILE - Matt Kirmer, left, and Joe Lieser, right, both of Torrance, California, ride scooters past Scottsdale Stadium, the spring training home of the San Francisco Giants, in Scottsdale, Ariz., in this Saturday, March 14, 2020, file photo. Big league managers say that Major League Baseball has instructed them to prepare for spring training to start on time in mid-February despite uncertainty around the coronavirus. Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, that officials from the commissioner's office had a meeting with managers Tuesday an expressed optimism about opening spring camps as scheduled. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

FILE - Young fans look out to the practice fields after a spring training baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs was canceled for inclement weather, at Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz., in this Thursday, March 12, 2020, file photo. Big league managers say that Major League Baseball has instructed them to prepare for spring training to start on time in mid-February despite uncertainty around the coronavirus. Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, that officials from the commissioner's office had a meeting with managers Tuesday an expressed optimism about opening spring camps as scheduled. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)