The Major League Baseball reported to the teams on Tuesday that the start of the 2021 Triple-A season will be delayed by one month. As a result, MLB clubs will operate alternative training sites similar to those used during the shortened 2020 pandemic season.
The Triple-A season was originally scheduled to start on April 6, but games will be postponed to early May, around the same time that the Double-A and Class A seasons are due to begin. Some Triple-A teams are expected to start their seasons on May 4, with the remainder two days later.
“This is a prudent step to complete the Major League and Minor League seasons as safely as possible, and we hope to have fans back at stadiums across the country very soon,” said Morgan Sword, executive vice president for MLB baseball operations, in a demonstration.
With the COVID-19 pandemic causing the 2020 Minor League season to be canceled, alternative locations have been established as part of the MLB health and safety protocols, providing a close location for clubs to train and develop players during the MLB shortened campaign.
It is not yet determined how many players will be allowed on alternative sites this year. Last season, clubs sent groups of 60 players, and those who were included in a group of players, but were not in the active Major League squad, were able to train at the alternate location. The difference this year is that there will be simultaneous spring training for the Minor League taking place in April, giving clubs more options on how to prepare their minor leagues for the season.
Reinstating alternative training sites will reduce the risk by temporarily eliminating the commercial air travel that would be required during the AAA season. Alternative sites also make it easier for MLB teams to oversee coronavirus testing and manage protocols.
Meanwhile, the delay of the Triple-A season increases the chance that players will be vaccinated before the start of the season, as the COVID-19 vaccine continues to be launched across the country. On Tuesday, President Biden announced that there will be enough vaccine for every adult in the United States by the end of May.