Sources: MLB to require vaccinations to participate in Arizona Fall League

Major League Baseball has informed clubs that all players in the upcoming Arizona Fall League must be vaccinated, according to sources. The decision is baseball’s first mandatory vaccination decree affecting players.

The decision comes after a report last week by The Athletic that all non-player personnel, including managers, coaches and support staff, will be required to be vaccinated in order to participate in postseason play.

Diamondbacks farm director Josh Barfield declined to comment on if the mandate affected the contingent of prospects his organization was planning to send. A high-ranking executive said that of the seven players in his organization who were set to participate, one agreed to get vaccinated in order to play.

“To be honest, I think this is a precursor to next spring training,” the executive said. “They’re going to see what the pushback is and then we’ll have to figure it out from there. That’s my guess.”

Mandated vaccinations for major leaguers would have to be negotiated between the commissioner’s office and the players’ association. Though some fall league players might be on 40-man rosters, the league generally is treated as a minor league.