Red Sox plan to hold spring training at Fenway Park

The Red Sox have not held spring training in Massachusetts since 1943,Jim Davis

If spring training resumes, the Red Sox will conduct their workouts at Fenway Park, team president Sam Kennedy said on Saturday.

The decision came less than a day after Major League Baseball ordered all spring training facilities in Florida and Arizona closed and sanitized after a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases in those states.

Players and other employees of the Astros, Blue Jays, Phillies, and Yankees have tested positive in recent days.

With the possible exception of the Blue Jays, all teams will train at their home ballparks, according to a report by USA Today. Toronto may have to make alternative plans because Canada’s border with the United States remains closed.

Any formal workouts are contingent on MLB and the Players Association agreeing on a plan to start the season. Owners have proposed a 60-game season with the players seeking 70.

The Players Association is preparing for a vote. If they reject the latest proposal from the owners, commissioner Rob Manfred has the power to mandate a season at a length of his choosing.

Once that issue is settled, workouts would likely start within a week, with Opening Day sometime in July.

The Red Sox have not held spring training in Massachusetts since 1943, when World War II led to the team working out at Tufts University in Medford.

Kennedy and chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said details would be released at a later time.

Teams are expected to have expanded rosters of at least 28 players with an additional group in reserve. The Red Sox are likely to install extra batting cages in the concourse at Fenway to accommodate the extra players.

The Sox, it was learned, have had discussions with Boston College about using its baseball facilities if all health and safety conditions can be met.

Also on Saturday, the Red Sox signed Marshall University righthander Rob Kwiatkowski as an undrafted free agent. The Georgia native appeared in eight games as a reliever this season and allowed three earned runs on five hits over 12 innings with 14 strikeouts and three walks.