Fauci lays out scenarios for baseball's return

During a recent interview with Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci, Fauci laid out scenarios that could bring back baseball this summer, barring any major setbacks from the coronavirus outbreak.

"As we start trying to get back to normality and pulling back on some of the strict mitigation, you know we have a three-phase way to get back to normal.

First you get past the checkpoint, the gateway -- kind of like the minor leagues before you get into the big leagues.

Then you go to Phase 1, then if you do well, you go to Phase 2, then Phase 3.

If we do that successfully, and there’s no major outbreaks, I could foresee any of a number of scenarios," Fauci said.

Like other major professional sports leagues, MLB's calendar has been put on hold amid the coronavirus outbreak that has kept millions across the globe indoors and away from large public gatherings to stem the spread of the virus.

Officially, games have been listed as "postponed" and not canceled, with MLB still hoping to salvage as much of the season as possible, targeting a start date between mid-June and early July, the Athletic reported.