Rob Manfred is planning to allow fans at Major League games in 2021, as long as local government and health officials give the approval.

The coronavirus pandemic forced MLB to play the entirety of its 60-game regular season without fans in attendance.

The league, however, did permit up to 11,500 fans at the League Championship Series and World Series at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas in October.

"As we look forward, we will be more aggressive about having fans in ballparks," Manfred said. "There were places where we could have had fans this year, and in fact we did have fans for the LCS and the World Series in Texas. Even though local jurisdictions had started to open up, we decided for this year that we would stay empty during the regular season.

"I don't think that's a tenable position for us going forward. We're going to have to allow the clubs to operate safely. We're obviously going to have league-wide protocols. If local public health authorities allow for fans, I think you're going to see fans in the ballpark next year. Now, will it be full stadiums? I kind of doubt that. But we do think it's important, and it's why we did it in the World Series and the LCS: to get people accustomed to the idea that you can go to these live events with appropriate protocols, pods of people, social distancing, masks, and do it safely."