Minor League Baseball Players are MLB Employees, Owed Damages, Judge Rules

Minor league baseball players brought a lawsuit against the Major League Baseball.

According to Evan Drellich of The Athletic, a federal judge in California ruled that minor leaguers should be considered employees throughout the year and that Major League Baseball is a joint employer along with teams.

The ruling explained that traveling to road games on team buses qualifies for payment, as players perform work during spring training.

The players were awarded more than two million dollars in damages. The amount for an Arizona claim will be determined on June 1.

The advocates for minor leaguers released a statement.

"For decades, minor league players have worked long hours year-round in exchange for poverty-level wages. Working as a professional baseball player requires far more than just playing baseball games. It also requires hours of year-round training, practice, and preparation, for which we have never been properly compensated. We are thrilled with today’s ruling, which is an enormous step toward holding MLB accountable for its longstanding mistreatment of Minor League players."

MLB was opened up to the lawsuit by Spero's ruling that the league is a joint employer.

The working conditions of minor leaguers have been a topic of discussion in the public consciousness recently, as the focus has been on the new collective bargaining agreement and how it will affect players at the highest level of the sport.

Minor Leaguers have been highlighted for sleeping in their cars and lackluster food offerings.

Alex Shultz of SFGate reported in July that players on the Ports paid more in hotel charges than they made in their paychecks.

The chance for players to stay with host families was eliminated by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This ruling was a victory for minor leaguers as the case heads to trial.