Reds to prepare in Cincinnati for 2020 season

CINCINNATI - Cincinnati Reds President of Baseball Operations Dick Williams today announced that the team will work out locally at two sites in preparation for the start of the 2020 Major League Baseball season.

The players are scheduled to report to Cincinnati for preseason workouts on July 1, with the Reds' first game of the season slated for July 23 or July 24. The 2020 schedule includes 60 regular season games and is to be announced.

The Reds have been working with city, county and state officials for the necessary permits to begin playing regular season games at Great American Ball Park without fans and will continue to work with these officials in hopes of fans returning to the ballpark as soon as possible.

“It just wouldn’t be summer in Cincinnati without Reds baseball,” said Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus. “While we may not be able to gather at the ballpark, we can still come together as a community to cheer on the Reds.”

"It is time to bring America's pastime back to Cincinnati," said Mayor John Cranley. "Cincinnati needs this to lift our spirits. Let's bring the Reds back to where it all started."

In addition to using Great American Ball Park, the team is finalizing plans to use a state of the art facility located on the corporate campus of Prasco Laboratories in Mason. That facility is home to two fields, Prasco Park and Legacy Field.

The facility serves as the home complex of the Cincinnati Spikes, a non-profit, select, traveling baseball team, and includes a weight room, training room, cafeteria, meeting rooms and multiple clubhouses. Prasco is lighted and can be used to train at night. In addition, Legacy Field is a fully synthetic field.

During preseason workouts, the team anticipates utilizing both facilities. Once the regular season begins, the facility in Mason would be the team’s designated Alternate Training Site, which will house the players not on the active roster.

"We are very excited about the possibility of training at Prasco," Williams said of the state-of-the-art facility just north of Cincinnati. "The facilities are first rate and have been a home to many of our region’s best young players. From the moment MLB gave teams the ability to decide where to conduct preseason training, we were committed to finding a facility in close proximity to our home stadium. It will be exciting for the players to prepare here in our home market for this unique season. We are very grateful to the Arington family for working with us to make this a reality.”

The Reds expect 60 players to report for preseason workouts, with approximately 35 players based out of Great American Ball Park and 25 players practicing at the two fields in Mason. When the season starts, it is anticipated there will be 30 players on the active roster at Great American and 30 players working out at Prasco Park.

The Reds' workouts at Great American Ball Park and in Mason will be closed to the public, per Major League Baseball rules.