Minor League Baseball players were released in bulk Thursday amid coronavirus-related financial issues for the league.
May 29 (UPI) — Minor League Baseball players are being released in bulk amid coronavirus-related financial issues for the league.
Sources told ESPN, The Score and The Athletic that hundreds of players were released Thursday. Some teams released as many as 64 players and more releases are expected. The moves signal a potential cancellation for the 2020 MiLB season.
«Just got that call a little bit ago,» former Chicago Cubs minor leaguer Brock Stewart tweeted Thursday. «Very tough to hear and realize. I’m not done though. I’m ready to go. I’ll be ready whenever. I have worked hard and got better. This [expletive] will not get the best of me.»
Teams teams typically release players in March after minor league spring training. MLB and MiLB transactions show that a total of 301 players were released at that time last year. This year, 131 minor league players were released in March.
Sources told ESPN minor league team owners have started to fire front-office and game-day workers in recent weeks.
