GLENDALE, Ariz. — Major League Baseball said Friday that spring training camps will be suspended effective immediately, allowing major league players from both major and minor league camps to return home from spring training sites.
Players may also return to their club’s cities.
“This step is in the best interests of players, employees and the communities who host spring training,” a statement from MLB said.
The announcement comes a day after MLB suspended spring training and said the regular season would begin at least two weeks late because of the coronavirus pandemic.
With players given the freedom to go home and some camps breaking up, the workouts become informal, and the likelihood of the season starting only two weeks late became small. It was not immediately known how many White Sox players would be leaving camp but it is believed a lot of them will. A good number have homes in the area.
At a morning meeting with players, coaches and staff at the major league camp Friday, “we had a very good conversation about where we sit right now and how to make the best of the situation,” Sox general manager Rick Hahn said.
Work was optional for players but Hahn said, “I think there was full participation.”
“If for whatever reason that changes over the course of [Saturday] or Sunday, we certainly understand,” Hahn said. “Unfortunately this is one of the rare occurrences where it’s larger than baseball, the issues we’re dealing with. Therefore we’re going to continue to be flexible.
“We’re all human beings who have families and understandable discomfort living in an uncertain world right now. We’re open to anyone expressing whatever needs they might have from a family standpoint or psychological standpoint or whatever.”
The Sox were planning to have players hit and take infield and use workout facilities in the coming days. Pitchers will throw, but therein lies “the trickiest” planning element of all this, Hahn said.
“Spring training is a building process, particularity for starters,” Hahn said.
“It might not be quite as imperative that a starter throws every fifth day right now.
“The goal for the short term right now is do everything we can to maintain where they’re at. And once we have a target in mind, come up with a plan to build them from there.”
White Sox vice president for communications Scott Reifert said the hope is still to play the full schedule.
“Right now, the long-range plan is that we will play 162 games,” Reifert said. “So, that’s the hope. Whether that ends up being the reality, we’ll see down the road.”
The missed games would be plugged in at end of the year, possibly stretching into October and the postseason into November. And before it all starts, teams would return to spring training starts and play a modified schedule of Cactus League games.
