Rockies’ Ian Desmond To Skip MLB Season, Citing COVID-19 & Social Justice

The 2020 Major League Baseball season is set to start mid-July. One of the questions regarding this season was whether or not players would sit out the season. Some players have already come out and said that they will not be participating in the MLB play this year. Yet another domino fell on Monday night as Colorado Rockies’ utility player Ian Desmond came out in a nine-page Instagram post saying that he would not play in 2020.

The 34-year old cited COVID-19 as well as social justice issues as his reasons for not playing. As it pertains to coronavirus, Desmond has four children as well as a pregnant wife and said that just the virus alone brings on too much of a risk for his family. 

On social justice issues, Desmond said that he felt that he needed to be home to answer the questions of his kids regarding what is going on in the world. He also noted that he felt that MLB has not taken the steps necessary to help those in underprivileged communities and that the game is no longer easily accessible to all and is more so available to people who can afford it. “Why can’t we support teaching the game to all kids – but especially those in underprivileged communities? Why aren’t accessible, affordable youth sports viewed as an essential opportunity to affect kids’ development, as opposed to money-making propositions and recruiting chances? It’s hard to wrap your head around it.”

At the end of his post, Desmond noted that although he is sitting out the 2020 season, he will still be out in his community, helping Sarasota Youth Baseball get “back on track” and be more accessible to children. 

Desmond has played 11 seasons in the MLB. Last season for Colorado, he played in 140 games, had 113 hits, 20 home runs, 65 RBIs, and hit .255.

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