ST. PETERSBURG — As other teams shift plans to hold informal workouts and a second spring training at their regular-season stadiums, the Rays on Monday continued throwing and hitting sessions at Tropicana Field.All while waiting for a resolution of talks between owners and the players union to set a schedule for a planned 2020 season.The union executive board voted Monday to reject the owners’ most recent proposal for a 60-game season at full prorated pay. The league later said that clubs “unanimously voted to proceed with the 2020 season under the terms of the March 26 agreement.” Commissioner Rob Manfred will set the schedule, likely by the end of business Tuesday.In a statement, the union said players “remain fully committed” to returning to the field once the league tells them when:“Earlier this evening, the full Board reaffirmed the players’ eagerness to return to work as soon and as safely as possible. To that end we anticipate finalizing a comprehensive set of health and safety protocols with Major League Baseball in the coming days, and we await word from the league on the resumption of spring training camps and a proposed 2020 schedule.“While we had hoped to reach a revised back to work agreement with the league, the Players remain fully committed to proceeding under our current agreement and getting back on the field for the fans, for the game, and for each other.”About a dozen Rays, meanwhile, were at the Trop on Monday.Brendan McKay and Ryan Yarbrough threw off the bullpen mounds while Jose Alvarado, Nick Anderson, Diego Castillo and Yonny Chirinos did long-toss throwing. Six players took batting practice, and some did infield work from the group of Willy Adames, Brandon Lowe, Manuel Margot, Jose Martinez, Austin Meadows and Mike Zunino.With personnel testing positive and players presenting COVID-19 symptoms at the three spring facilities in the immediate Tampa Bay area — Blue Jays (Dunedin), Phillies (Clearwater) and Yankees (Tampa) — Major League Baseball over the weekend ordered all spring training camps to be shut down temporarily and deep cleaned, and for players and staff to test negatively for COVID-19 to be allowed back in.All teams would also hold all Spring 2.0 workouts at regular-season stadiums. (The only exception could be the Blue Jays, given that the Canadian border remains closed.)The Rays have already been planning that for the Trop, allowing players on the 40-man roster to work out there three times a week since May 25 under social-distancing rules and various precautionary measures. All personnel have their temperatures checked on the way in, staff have to wear masks at all times and players except when working out, activities are limited to the main field, with no access to the clubhouse, trainer’s room or batting cages. Any players joining the group will have to test negatively to be allowed to participate.The Rays plan to increase activity to live batting practice starting Wednesday. To this point, hitters have been taking swings off coaches. Now some will face live pitching for the first time since the mid-March shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
![Marc Topkin - Rays Reporter](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 50 50"/%3E "Marc Topkin - Rays Reporter")