Morning Mound Visit: Opening Day set for late July

Jesse Rogers | ESPN: It’s official. Baseball will return for a 60-game season starting either July 23 or 24. The truncated season will have a number of rule changes including universal DH, runners starting at second in extra innings, and the trade deadline has been moved to August 31. Get ready for the Dodgers to trade Mookie Betts after going 12-17.

Stephanie Apstein | Sports Illustrated: MLB will return at the end of July, which means a lot of baseball players are going to get sick. South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan all have baseball back, but the difference is those areas aren’t failed states. Like a table of third graders who can’t follow instructions, the United States hasn’t been excused for recess, and trying to rush back to play will have dire consequences.

Ben Kouchnerkavich | Purple Row: Some of those consequences include players getting sick and possibly suffering persistent lung damage. 12 players and staffers in the Phillies organization, and right after the news broke of the season being official, three Rockies were revealed to have tested positive including four-time All-Star Charlie Blackmon.