MLB acknowledges season will start later than April 9, Royals staff to work from home
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred has abandoned the possibility of starting the season on April 9, two weeks later than MLB’s originally scheduled opening day.
Sunday, the CDC released its recommendation to restrict events of more than 50 people for the next eight weeks to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. President Trump said Monday people should avoid gathering in groups of more than 10.
Following the CDC recommendation and a conference call with all 30 MLB clubs, Manfred issued a statement on Monday stating, “The opening of the 2020 regular season will be pushed back in accordance with that guidance.”
That eight-week time period would mean MLB teams couldn’t host games until the middle of May at the earliest. It’s still not clear how long teams and players would need to prepare in a spring training-like environment before starting regular season games.
Monday’s statement from Manfred also seemed to allude to the likelihood of a truncated season when baseball does resume.
“MLB will keep fans updated on decisions regarding plans for the 2020 schedule in the days and weeks ahead,” the statement read. “The Clubs remain committed to playing as many games as possible when the season begins. We will continue to monitor ongoing events and undertake the precautions and best practices recommended by public health experts, and urge all baseball fans to follow suit. MLB extends its best wishes to all the individuals and communities who have been impacted by the coronavirus.”
On Friday, MLB suspended all spring camps and gave players the options to return home, remain in their spring training cities, or return to their major league club’s home city.
Royals operate with skeleton staff
Some Royals players had chosen to stay and work out at the team’s facility in Surprise, Arizona, and others had chosen to return to their home cities.
“This unprecedented time in the history of baseball is changing every single day,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore told The Star by phone on Monday.
Moore estimated 20 to 22 players from the major league roster, as well as some of their families, remained in Surprise as of Monday. Though he pointed out that more will likely disperse in the coming days. Some likely stayed because of lease obligations that ran through spring training, and others may have considered Arizona a safe place to avoid the coronavirus. Through Sunday, 13 cases had been reported in that state.
There are no formal workouts at the facility, and the club is not allowing players to work out in large groups.
The Royals sent the majority of the baseball staff, front office staff and public relations staff home by Sunday, but the facility will remain open for players on the 40-man roster as well as to accommodate many of their international players currently in the minors who can’t go back to their home countries.
“We have a moral obligation to take care of our international players who have no place to go,” Moore said. “We’re certainly not going to put them out on the street.”
Of the front office staff, just Moore and assistant GM/player performance J.J. Picollo, who oversees the farm system, remained in Arizona. Members of the training and sports performance staffs are present as well as the team nutritionist and Nick Leto, manager of the Royals’ Arizona operations.
Moore likened it to the staffing levels during the offseason, when many players choose to train and work out at the club’s facility. Many of the support staff members reside in the area full-time.
Minor league players were directed to go home and encouraged to “lay low” for the next 14-21 days in accordance with CDC recommendations such as avoiding large groups. Director of performance science/player development John Wagle designed workouts they can do while back at home.
Adjustment being made
Players who are either on their club’s 40-man roster or players who are non-roster spring training invitees who were classified free agents this offseason and finished the 2019 season on a major league roster or injured list can return home and receive up to a $1,100 weekly allowance from the MLB Players Association, an industry source confirmed to The Star.
Minor league players not on the 40-man roster are not in the union and therefore not eligible for that allowance.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and MLB Network reported that MLB has temporarily prohibited all scouting activity, domestically and abroad whether in person or remotely.
Moore, who instructed the Royals scouting department to pull their scouts off the road last Wednesday, agreed with the decision as the right course of action for MLB.
The Royals, who issued a letter to the Kansas City community on Sunday, announced Monday the club has closed its box office and team store, and instructed Kansas City-based associates to work from home for the next two weeks.
“As an organization we continue to monitor the developments related to COVID-19, and remain in constant contact with Major League Baseball, following their lead as things seem to change on almost a daily basis,” the Royals’ statement Monday read. “We have taken every step to secure the health and safety of our fans, players, coaches, and staff in Arizona, effectively shutting down spring training at this point. Our associates at home in Kansas City are also a top priority and though we’ve had no positive cases of coronavirus, we believe it is best to protect the safety of our employees and our community.
“With that in mind, as of today we have instructed all of our associates to work remotely from home for the next two weeks as we continue to monitor the impact of COVID-19. We are also closing the Box Office and the Team Store during this time. We will re-evaluate the situation at the end of these 14 days and make decisions accordingly.
“We will remain in close communication with the Office of the Commissioner and rely on the guidance of their medical experts, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization as this medical event progresses. We will take additional action as necessary as more information becomes available.”
This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 3:16 PM.
