Major League Baseball Delays Start of Triple-A Season

ROUND ROCK, Texas – Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has made the decision to delay the beginning of the Triple-A Championship Season by four weeks, the league announced on Tuesday night. The delay is designed to increase the likelihood that Minor League Baseball players will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine prior to their assignment to affiliates located throughout the United States.

Round Rock’s new tentative Opening Day is set for Thursday, May 6 at Dell Diamond against the Oklahoma City Dodgers. The previously announced schedule will remain intact but instead begin on May 6. All April dates have been cancelled and will not be made up. The Express will now play 120 total games, including 60 at Dell Diamond and 60 on the road, a decrease from the previously announced 142-game schedule.

To ensure that all 30 Triple-A clubs play an even number of home and road contests, Round Rock will add a pair of home games against the Albuquerque Isotopes during the previously scheduled All-Star Break on July 12 and 13. The 2021 Triple-A All-Star Game, scheduled to be played at Dell Diamond, has been postponed as a result.

At the conclusion of Spring Training in late March, players previously slated to begin the season in Round Rock will instead report to an alternate training site at a location to be determined. Alternate training sites will be located within close proximity to MLB cities and allow for players to remain in one location, providing MLB clubs a safe and quick route to promote replacements as needs arise.

To view the full lineup of a variety of special events coming to Dell Diamond in 2021, visit RRExpress.com/Events. For more information about the Express, visit RRExpress.com or call (512) 255-2255. Subscribe to the E-Train email newsletter and keep up with the Express on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!