PORT ST. LUCIE, FL - MARCH 08: Manager Luis Rojas #19 of the New York Mets signs a ball for a fan before a spring training baseball game against the Houston Astros at Clover Park on March 8, 2020 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The Mets defeated the Astros 3-1.
(Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

Newly appointed New York Mets skipper Luis Rojas speaks on his managerial approach to the coronavirus pandemic.

Over the last few weeks, the sports world has crumbled, cracked, and changed for the worst thanks to COVID-19. Games and events are canceled, suspended, postponed, delayed, you name it. This includes the 2020 MLB regular season, as no one truly knows the exact date the campaign will commence.

So with that, skippers around Major League Baseball have taken a new approach to managing their respective ballclubs. It’s a tough and strange time in our world, but these individuals are taking strides to keep the communication level at a maximum.

Newly appointed New York Mets manager Luis Rojas recently spoke on this very concept.

“We use an application that all large organizations are using, called Teamworks,” he said, per ESPN’s Marly Rivera. “There we send group messages and information to the entire groups, communicate in general terms, with the whole group. We are also constantly making calls and sending personal texts to keep in touch. Lately, we have been using Zoom video calls.”

It’s been heartbreaking to not have live baseball on our television sets the past couple of days. Opening Day was supposed to take place on March 26. Now, some believe the season may not start until June or July, if at all.

But regardless, Rojas believes the love for the game will be at an all-time high when the sport does indeed return.

“I think the passion for the game is going to be higher than ever because we miss it so much, including the fans,” he said.

Rojas was promoted from quality control coach to manager after Carlos Beltran, the Mets’ original hire to replace Mickey Callaway, stepped down amid the Astros’ cheating scandal. He’s looking forward to leading New York back to the postseason for the first time since 2016.

There’s the lingering chance that his opportunity to do so in 2020 will end before it could even really start, but Rojas is portraying optimism in regards to the upcoming season’s ultimate existence.

“I do believe we are going to have a season this year. I hope we will,” he says. “But knowing the timeline right now is very difficult. We certainly know that what is happening right now is much bigger than the game. Now we are following protocols, following everything to the letter to overcome this. But our mentality is that we will play baseball this year, at some point.”

New York had just 13 exhibition games remaining when the league canceled the rest of spring training. They were slated to open up the regular season at home against the defending World Series champion Washington Nationals.

Ryan Honey is a staff writer and host of the Wide Right Podcast.