Decisions on whether to play the 2020 season are due soon across MLB, and Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants became the latest to opt out, citing concerns over the recent birth of adopted twin daughters.
Not only is the task of raising two newborns a ton of responsibility, but Posey told media on Friday that they were both born prematurely and will have to spend time in the ICU for “some time.” He did relay, however, that the twins are doing well.
Buster Posey and his wife are adopting identical twin girls. That is why he has missed time in camp. The twins were born prematurely and stable but will be in NICU for some time. He is opting out of the season.
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) July 10, 2020
Buster said the identical twin girls were born prematurely a week ago, but are doing well. Will need to be in the NICU for a while. Adoption became final yesterday. Both Farhan and Kapler were on call and completely support his decision to opt out of season. #sfgiants
— Amy Gutierrez (@AmyGGiants) July 10, 2020
Daughters Ada and Livvi are stable, but Posey didn’t want to risk travel and the general busyness of the season while his wife tended to the babies and the medical challenges they face. Posey admitted he may not have opted out if their birth had not been premature.
Buster said if the twins hadn’t been born premature he may have played this season. Babies will be very fragile for several months. #sfgiants
— Amy Gutierrez (@AmyGGiants) July 10, 2020
After many NWSL and NBA players opted out to keep safe during the pandemic, the MLB setup only poses more health risks, as baseball players will be asked to travel to different markets all around their region of the country and play a much longer 60-game regular season plus extended playoffs. It wouldn’t be a surprise to hear more stars like Posey decide against playing this year before we actually make our way to Opening Day in a couple weeks.
Source: https://uproxx.com/sports/buster-posey-mlb-opt-out-twin-daughters/