KBO will begin reopening stadiums to spectators this week

The Korean Baseball Organization hasn't allowed spectators in the stands since the season began on May 5, but it appears the cardboard-cutout fans will be swapped out for real ones this week.

South Korea announced Sunday it'll begin reopening stadiums to fans this week, according to ESPN, and a KBO official said the league could have fans in stadiums as soon as Friday.

"We haven't yet established specific guidelines, and we have to monitor the situation with the virus, but we expect to have fans back in the stands by Friday at the earliest," the league's secretary general Ryu Dae-hwan told the Yonhap News Agency on Sunday. "We'll make the health and safety of our fans the No. 1 priority."

Stadiums will be opening at 30% capacity before working up to 50% in the coming weeks. South Korea has largely contained the coronavirus, so it seems, and just 42 new infections were reported on Monday. 

The KBO is the highest level of baseball in South Korea, and boasts some former Major League Baseball players. Some former MLB players currently playing in the league include Drew Rucinski, Mike Wright, Aaron Altherr, Jake Brigham, Jose Fernandez, Tyler Saladino, Aaron Brooks, Preston Tucker and Erik Jokisch. 

When the MLB season returns next month, it's likely that fans will not be allowed to attend games, though some ball clubs have said there could be an opportunity for spectators at some point during the shortened 60-game season.