Minor leaguers would lose minimum wage protection

Former Defenders pitcher Broshuis fighting for them

Minor league baseball players who make as little as $5,500 a season would be stripped of the protection of federal minimum wage laws under a provision in government spending legislation expected to be approved by Congress this week.

The "Save America's Pastime Act" is included on page 1,967 of the $1.3 trillion spending bill and appears to pre-empt a lawsuit filed four years ago in U.S. District Court in San Francisco by three players alleging Major League Baseball and its teams violate the Fair Labor Standards Act and state minimum wage and overtime requirements for a work week they estimated at 50-to-60 hours.

The provision in the legislation would exempt "any employee employed to play baseball who is compensated pursuant to a contract that provides for a weekly salary for services performed during the league's championship season (but not spring training or the offseason) at a rate that is not less than a weekly salary equal to the minimum wage ... for a workweek of 40 hours, irrespective of the number of hours the employee devotes to baseball related activities."

The House approved the spending bill Thursday and the legislation appears likely to be approved by the Senate and signed by President Donald Trump.

"Instead of going through the regular committee process where it has a hearing, all of this was done in secret and a in a very rushed manner," Garrett Broshuis, the lawyer for the players, said Thursday. "It's emblematic of how things are getting done in Washington these days, where the people with a lot of money are able to flex their political muscle and make a lot of contributions and get things done in secret that benefit only them."

Broshuis played for the Connecticut Defenders from 2006-08.

Orioles 10, Red Sox 7

Manny Machado drove in a run with his sixth spring double and is batting .404. Chance Sisco hit a two-run homer, and Tim Beckham hit his fourth home. Boston's Hector Velazquez allowing four runs in 4 1/3 innings and Baltimore's Mike Wright Jr. surrendering seven runs — six earned — and 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Yankees 2, Twins 1

Jordan Montgomery gave up one run and six hits in six innings for New York. Minnesota's Phil Hughes lowered his ERA to 6.06, giving up one run and four hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Mets' Montero out

Mets right-hander Rafael Montero probably will miss the season after tearing a ligament in his pitching elbow.

New York said Thursday that the 27-year-old has a complete tear of the ulnar collateral ligament and will likely need Tommy John surgery. Montero was 5-11 with a 5.52 ERA in 18 starts and 16 relief appearances last year. He gave up 13 runs — nine earned — and 12 hits in nine innings during spring training.