Major League Baseball announces delay of 2021 Triple-A season

PAPILLION, Neb. — Major League Baseball informed clubs of an approximately four-week delay to the start of the 2021 Triple-A season on Tuesday. Per MLB, the delay is due to health and safety reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2021 Triple-A season, which was previously scheduled to begin for the Omaha Storm Chasers on April 6 at Toledo (DET), is now set to begin on May 4, when the Chasers are scheduled to welcome the St. Paul Saints (MIN) to Werner Park. Click here to view the updated 2021 schedule.

“While we’re disappointed to have to wait a little longer to welcome our Chasers Family back to Werner Park, we’re confident that having more time to prepare for the 2021 season will help us make our 60 home games as fun and memorable as they can be,” Storm Chasers President Martie Cordaro said. “We’re so excited to see everyone at Werner Park on May 4 to celebrate the return of Triple-A baseball to the Omaha metro.”

Per MLB, delaying the start of the 2021 Triple-A season will increase the likelihood that Minor League players may be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine prior to their assignments to various Minor League affiliates this spring. As a result, Major League teams will use an Alternate Training Site for Triple-A players at the beginning of the Major League season, which will allow for a quicker and safer process of replacing players on Major League Active Rosters as needed.

The Storm Chasers new schedule will begin with the game originally scheduled for May 4 (vs. St. Paul) and continue as scheduled, except for two additional games that will replace off days during the previously scheduled All-Star Break in July. Those two games (July 13 and 14) will each be road contests against Indianapolis. Games previously scheduled for April will not be rescheduled. The 2021 season is still scheduled to conclude on September 19.

As a result of the delay and schedule adjustment, the Storm Chasers are now scheduled to play 60 games at Werner Park this season and 120 games overall. More details on the updated 2021 schedule, including game times, promotions, and ticket information, will be available on a later date. A printable 2021 schedule can be found here.

For more information, please visit omahastormchasers.com, call the Werner Park Ticket office at (402) 738-5100, and follow the team on social media. You can follow the team on Twitter @omastormchasers, on Instagram @omahastormchasers, and “like” the team on Facebook at facebook.com/omahastormchasers.