ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JULY 22: Tim Collins #63 of the Colorado Rockies throws against the Texas Rangers in the sixth inning during a MLB exhibition game at Globe Life Field on July 22, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Tim Collins is the first player to publicly opt-out since the Miami Marlins COVID-19 outbreak.
The MLB was under the microscope for running their shortened season in a regular fashion without the help of a bubble environment. The first hurdle came on Opening Day, as Washington Nationals star Juan Soto tested positive for the coronavirus.
Three days later, 11 members of the Miami Marlins contracted COVID-19, leading to the cancellation of two games on Monday. With this latest outbreak, there were bound to be some players to bow out of the 2020 season.
Shortly after the Marlins bombshell announcement, Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Tim Collins opted out of the 60 game campaign. Before you jump the gun, Collins decided to sit out prior to the Marlins outbreak, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
Collins joins others who have opted-out due to COVID-19 concerns.
Collins joins notable players such as Buster Posey, Nick Markakis, David Price and Ryan Zimmerman, among others who have opted-out due to COVID-19 concerns.
Collins was named to Colorado’s 60-man player pool but failed to make the team’s 30-player Opening Day roster. In fact, Collins was set to report to the Rockies’ satellite camp on Monday, per Nick Groke of The Athletic. Collins is set to hit free agency at the conclusion of this truncated season.
As a member of the Chicago Cubs last season, Collins recorded a 3.12 ERA and 1.385 WHIP in nine games.
Even with the latest in-league outbreak, the MLB isn’t expected to cancel or pause the season. Instead, it will be all hands on deck in the coming days.
While Collins’ decision didn’t stem from what happened inside the Marlins clubhouse, you can fully expect some more players to decide that playing during a global pandemic just isn’t worth putting the long-term health of themselves and their families at risk.