The start of the Mets’ 2021 season is in limbo after Major League Baseball postponed Thursday’s Opening Night due to COVID-related issues among the Nationals and announced that, “out of an abundance of caution,” there would be no game on Friday, either.

On Wednesday, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo announced that one unnamed Washington player, had tested positive for COVID-19 and contact-tracing rules compelled the team to quarantine five other people — four players and a coach — due to close contact with the infected player. The player who tested positive took his test on Monday.

ESPN reported on Thursday that concerns loom about the possibility of one more positive test among the Nationals.

The fact that the Mets and Nationals 1) are scheduled to play each other 19 times this season and 2) are not located far apart from each other can give MLB more freedom to be conservative when determining when play should resume.