How MLB clubs are observing Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Major League Baseball and its clubs are hosting several activities to highlight the value of mental well-being while emphasizing the importance of seeking assistance and asking for help.

Atlanta Braves
For the third annual Strikeout the Stigma campaign, the Atlanta Braves Foundation is partnering with pitcher Tyler Matzek to raise funds for Athletes Against Anxiety and Depression (AAAD). Matzek will be donating $250 to AAAD for each of his strikeouts throughout the 2024 season, with a match from the foundation. Fans are invited to join the campaign by making donations or pledges per strikeout. To continue involving fans beyond donating, the Braves have created an online hub to show the team’s commitment to fighting the stigma around mental health and list resources available in the community for support.

Baltimore Orioles
Orioles outfielder Austin Hays and his wife, Samantha, will hold a silent auction alongside members of the Orioles Family Program. Net proceeds will go to Youth Emotional Support (YES). The auction, featuring game-used and autographed memorabilia, will be held at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 31. During the month, the Orioles will also recognize two organizations in the mental health field as part of the club’s Heroes Corner Program, presented by The Good Feet Store. The Heroes program, founded in 2021, provides an opportunity for the club and its fans to show appreciation for frontline workers and volunteers in the community.

Boston Red Sox
On May 7, the Red Sox delivered mental health packages to their Red Sox Scholars during a workshop for the scholars and their families called "Arts & Emotions: Be The Real You" that highlighted Mental Health Awareness Month. The scholars were encouraged to express themselves through art. They were provided with a blank mask to decorate with how they feel they are perceived on the outside and how they see themselves on the inside.

Detroit Tigers
The Tigers have worked with three schools (232 active students) in the MLB x Everfi Understanding Mental Wellness digital education program. In July, the Tigers will hold an event to support and provide resources to improve youth wellness, including mental health. The Detroit Tigers Foundation is partnering with local nonprofit The Children’s Center and its art therapy program to highlight the impact of art and laughter on children’s mental health. The Children’s Center will be a beneficiary of the foundation’s comedy show and fundraising event at the Detroit House of Comedy hosted by Tigers announcer Jason Benetti and various players.

Los Angeles Angels
The Angels partnered with Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA) once again to provide mental health resources and arrange events during May. They organized a yoga class followed by a mental health discussion before the May 13 game with UPLIFT Youth Foundation for local teens from Casa Youth Shelter. On May 25, players will wear a green ribbon, and the halo on the Big A will be turned green in honor of mental health awareness. The Angels Baseball Foundation donated to the Directing Change Film Contest. The statewide program, created by the Health Care Agency and OCHCA, empowers young adults across California to film impactful 60-second public service announcements on topics including mental health, eliminating stigma, suicide prevention and hope.

Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers organized a Mental Health Awareness Night at Dodger Stadium, where fans were gifted an exclusive Mental Health Awareness blanket. On May 4, the club recognized the creators of the Tea Time program, Trung Du and Ryan Nam, with the Dodgers Community Hero Award for their commitment to providing mental health support for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. The club has continued partnering with Beyond Sport x Head in the Game for a campaign to provide sports-aligned tools and resources to support and protect the mental well-being of teens in the U.S. The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation is a collaborator with the program and is creating mental health content that engages youth and highlights resources to show support.

Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins Foundation and Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) hosted their third annual Great Minds -- Great Athletes (GMGA) panel to kick off Mental Health Awareness Month. The GMGA program has impacted more than 15,000 MDCPS student-athletes through live and virtual workshops. This year’s panel featured Marlins pitcher Trevor Rogers, mental skills coach Marius Aleksa, manager of player care and service Colleen Mitchell and two student-athletes from American Senior High School. Moderated by Bally Sports Florida’s Kelly Saco, the panelists shared their approaches and experiences with mental health and answered questions from students in attendance.

Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers hosted the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) earlier this month. The group received 100 tickets and an information table on the concourse. NAMI’s executive director participated in an in-stadium interview to promote the importance of mental health. The club also aired a special episode of the Firemen docuseries following relief pitcher Hoby Milner’s mental health journey.

Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins Community Fund donated approximately 1,000 tickets to local mental health nonprofits and installed a “Powered by Mental Health” sign above the bullpens at Target Field to emphasize the team's commitment to promoting awareness. During Mental Health Awareness Night, Twins players and coaches -- and the Minor League affiliates -- wore "Powered by Mental Health" T-shirts with words of encouragement on the back. “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” was sung by a group from Duck Cup Memorial, a nonprofit dedicated to providing resources for mental health awareness and suicide prevention. The Twins and Premier Sports Psychology hosted a Health and Fitness Day for hundreds of local students to teach them more about mental health through various activities.

New York Mets
MLB x Everfi and the Mets partnered to hold a mental health event for children at the local Queens Public School on May 17. Along with the event, the Mets are continuing their partnership with Girls Inc. of NYC to fund Mind Body Matters -- Girls Inc.'s mental health program -- at two middle schools in Queens. Outfielder Brandon Nimmo will benefit a mental health-based nonprofit through his player program, Nimmo’s 9. Earlier this month, the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office Wellness Unit brought their therapy dog, Luna, to visit the Mets' front office. Luna and Deputy Sheriff Mackenzie Burns will continue to visit employees to help teach the staff more about Luna’s role as a therapy dog and break the stigma surrounding law enforcement and mental health.

New York Yankees
The Yankees launched an Employee Wellness Room initiative this month to provide a quiet space for employees to destress during the work day. The launch of the space followed the introduction of the Sensory Room in Yankee Stadium for guests of all ages who have sensory processing needs. The Yankees partnered with WellRight to create a program to provide employees with health assessments, education modules and resources to stay healthy. For the fourth year, the Yankees have continued their Fueling Our Future program, which was designed to provide young people in underserved communities with health and wellness resources and advice to excel in and out of the classroom. Approximately 30 students from DREAM will visit Yankee Stadium over three weeks to hear from informative speakers, including Yankees front-office members, chefs from Legends Hospitality and mental health and conditioning experts who work with the team’s active roster.

Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies are hosting Strike Out the Stigma presented by GHOST at Citizens Bank Park during the 2024 season. The club will organize a panel discussion every month to discuss the importance of mental health in sports, as well as the value of healthy life habits, supporting those around us and breaking the stigma surrounding mental health. Each panel will serve as a fundraiser for local mental health awareness nonprofits in Philadelphia. The 2024 events include speakers such as Phillies managing partner and CEO John Middleton, Hall of Fame sportswriter Jayson Stark, mental health advocate and former Major League outfielder Drew Robinson and others.

Pittsburgh Pirates
On May 3, the Pirates hosted their third annual Mental Health Action Night, dedicating portions of their pregame and in-game programming to highlight Pirates Charities and Allegheny Health Network’s Chill Mobile Program. Local students who participated in the Chill Mobile program were invited to the game for free. Fans were encouraged to look around the in-ballpark Mental Health Resource Fair made up of 15 local nonprofit organizations specializing in the behavioral health space. On May 25, Pirates Charities will hold its third annual Family Walk at PNC Park in support of Pirates Charities and Allegheny Health Network’s mental health programming. Fans are invited for a two-mile walk around PNC Park finishing at home plate before a post-walk carnival with fun activities as well as local mental health nonprofits on-site to share resources.

San Diego Padres
The Padres organized a Mental Health Awareness Day at Petco Park on May 15 in partnership with Sharp Healthcare. Fans who bought the Mental Health Awareness Day Theme Game Package received a limited-edition Padres-themed hat and a ticket to the game. The package also included a donation to a local group. Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital brought members of their recreational softball team for a baseline ceremony and a video that explained who they are and their mission to spread mental health awareness.

San Francisco Giants
Giants mental health advocate Robinson joined former MLB players as a representative for the MLB Players Association at a meeting in Congress along with other sports leagues to explore ideas to best support athletes’ mental health. For their Mental Health Awareness Night, the Giants hosted a panel featuring the Giants Mental Health Team and Robinson, along with others, to talk about mental health. Giants outfielders Mike Yastrzemski and Austin Slater are also raising awareness through their Mustache May campaign, in which they grow mustaches to spark conversations about mental health. Mustache May T-shirts are being sold, with partial proceeds benefiting Heart and Armor and Bring Change to Mind. The club has created a media campaign to make content with current players encouraging fans to take care of their mental health.