League gives minor leaguers spring per diems; salaries TBD
NEW YORK (AP) » Philadelphia Phillies minor leaguer Logan O’Hoppe got the news from his agent and relayed it immediately to teammate Vito Friscia.
Friscia, a 40th-round draft pick, would be getting his spring training pay, after all.
“He thought I was kidding,” O’Hoppe said. “It’s awesome, I’m happy for him.”
Major League Baseball announced Thursday that minor league players shut out of spring training camps will receive allowances from teams through April 8, and a plan is underway to compensate those players during the postponed portion of the regular season.
Minor leaguers will receive their allowances — usually $100400 per week — from teams in a lump sum. The payments will cover allowances due starting Thursday through the previously scheduled end of spring training.
The minor league season had been set to open April 9 but is being delayed because of the novel coronavirus outbreak. MLB said it is working with teams to develop an industry-wide plan to compensate players for missed games.
“We were excited to be able to help these kids,” Reds general manager Nick Krall said. “Help sustain them for some time, and hopefully we start the season and they start getting paychecks more.”
Players were sent scrambling
late last week when MLB suspended spring training. Most minor leaguers were told to go home, including players from Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and other countries, despite concerns they may have trouble getting back into the U.S. Some clubs made exceptions for foreign players and allowed them to stay in camp.
MLB had left it up to teams how to handle their minor leaguers, leaving players uncertain about the coming weeks and months.
Even for American players, the dismissals presented challenges. Most baseball players are paid only in-season, and many minor leaguers — especially those who did not receive lucrative signing bonuses — were relying on spring training camps for allowances, housing, meals and training facilities.
One minor leaguer told The Associated Press on Sunday that he was kicked out of camp with $800 in his bank account, no second job lined up and no idea how he would make ends meet until camps reopened. The player spoke on condition of anonymity due to concerns his team might punish him for speaking publicly.