Players like Ryan Zimmerman are opting out of the season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
PHOENIX — The Minnesota Twins have shuffled their on-field staff to protect the health of some of their older coaches. A trio of players, including Diamondbacks pitcher Mike Leake and Nationals slugger Ryan Zimmerman, have announced they won’t be playing in the upcoming 60-game season.
As Major League Baseball lurches toward a late July start during the coronavirus pandemic, it’s clear that roster flexibility and organizational depth will be key.
The Twins confirmed Monday that bullpen coach Bob McClure and major league coach Bill Evers won’t be in the clubhouse at the start of this season because of health concerns. Both coaches are in their 60s and will stay with the organization to help in altered roles.
Twins Manager Rocco Baldelli, who was sitting in a Target Field dugout during a Zoom call, said he’s known both coaches for a long time and that the decisions were difficult. He added that both coaches were disappointed.
“I think we all know that we’re making the right decision, but that doesn’t mean it feels good,” Baldelli said. “It’s very, very challenging to even think about these sorts of things and have these conversations.”
But they’re exactly the conversations that are being had at both the organizational and personal level across the MLB landscape. The defending World Series champion Nationals will begin their title defense without Zimmerman and pitcher Joe Ross, who both declined to play because of health concerns.
“We are one hundred percent supportive of their decision to not play this year,” Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said in a statement. “We will miss their presence in the clubhouse and their contributions on the field.”
Zimmerman, who told The Associated Press last week he was still deciding whether to play this year, ultimately said having three young children, including a newborn, and a mother at higher risk because of multiple sclerosis factored into his decision.
“Given the unusual nature of the season, this is the best decision for me and my family,” Zimmerman said.
