A few players throughout MLB have decided against returning to play amidst the pandemic in the 2020 season. The reasons for the opt outs are varied, but a few players have cited the high risk of contracting coronavirus paired with a severely shortened season not being worth it. SI's Tom Verducci highlights one player's reasoning for sitting out of 2020.
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00:00So far a handful of Major League players have decided they will not play through
00:10the pandemic this year. Ryan Zimmerman, Joe Ross, Mike Leake, and Ian Desmond and
00:18we are bound to hear from more. Do yourself a favor and read the very
00:23eloquent explanation on Instagram from Ian Desmond on why he has opted out of
00:28the 2020 season. Sure there may be some players who decide the money just isn't
00:33worth coming back into a pandemic or that the season, just 60 games, is just
00:38too short for them to bother. But when you read Desmond's account you realize
00:43that these are very unique and personal decisions especially when it comes to
00:48family and health concerns. This is not a one-size-fits-all scenario and Ian
00:55Desmond very eloquently underscored the difficulty of that decision.