Giants to pay Minor Leaguers through June

SAN FRANCISCO -- Despite continued uncertainty surrounding a potential return to play in 2020, the Giants have committed to paying their Minor League players through at least June 30.

Even with the Minor League season in limbo due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Giants have pledged to continue distributing a $400-per-week stipend to their farmhands through the end of next month.

San Francisco has seen some contraction within its farm system, however, as 20 Minor Leaguers were released from the organization on Thursday. It’s unclear which players were cut, though none were viewed as top-tier prospects.

Teams typically release Minor League players at the end of Spring Training and in June ahead of the annual Draft. The 2020 MLB Draft will be held on June 10-11 and will feature only five rounds instead of the usual 40.

“It's very much in flux, as a lot of things are,” Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told KNBR Thursday when asked about the outlook for the Minor League season. “The uncertainty about being able to get a season underway this year -- we're seeing how difficult it is at the Major League level, where we have a concentration of resources and we’re dealing with 30 teams as opposed to the entire network of Minor League affiliates. That’s going to be a lot more complicated to figure out."

As for the Major League club, the Giants have reopened their facility at Scottsdale Stadium in Arizona, though only players who live in the area have been allowed to access the complex. Players must comply with social distancing guidelines as outlined by MLB, state and local governments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, limiting the number of personnel that are permitted to work out at any given time.

If the Giants receive the go-ahead to stage a second Spring Training, the club will likely hold organized workouts at Oracle Park instead of returning to Arizona. San Francisco mayor London Breed announced Thursday that teams will be allowed to resume sports practices in the coming weeks and hold games without spectators beginning on June 15.