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WVU pushes back basketball workouts

West Virginia has postponed the start of men’s basketball workouts for two weeks after five players and one staff member tested positive for the coronavirus, the school announced Sunday.

The workouts were scheduled to start today. The decision was made in consultation with university medical officials.

“The recent positive numbers tell me the safest thing to do is put a pause on the start of our men’s basketball workouts,” West Virginia athletic director Shane Lyons said in a statement. “The well-being of our student-athletes is the top priority, and we will continually monitor our men’s basketball situation in hopes of starting on July 20.”

Those testing positive will self-isolate for 14 days. Contract tracing has identified additional people who could have been exposed and they will go into quarantine as well, the statement said.

In baseball

Dodgers pitcher David Price will not play this season because of concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, delaying his Los Angeles debut until next year.

The five-time All-Star became the latest player to opt out, posting Saturday on Twitter that he wouldn’t participate in the 60-game season that’s scheduled to begin July 23.

• Former Cy Young winner Félix Hernández has opted out of the 2020 season, at least temporarily ending his bid to revive his career with the Atlanta Braves.

Braves manager Brian Snitker said Sunday that Hernández, 34, opted out due to the coronavirus pandemic. The decision was made after Hernández participated in workouts on Friday and Saturday at Truist Park.

• Cleveland manager Terry Francona won’t sidestep the hot-button topic any longer. He believes the Indians need to change their contentious nickname.

“I think it’s time to move forward,” Francona said Sunday.

Francona’s comments came two days after the Indians, amid a nationwide movement to erase racially insensitive symbols, released a statement saying the organization is “committed to engaging our community and appropriate stakeholders to determine the best path forward with regard to our team name.”

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