HOUSTON -- Astros owner Jim Crane announced Friday the team would continue to pay and provide benefits to players in the team’s Minor League system through Aug. 31, which was originally scheduled to be the end of the Minor League season.

“With the uncertainty that our Minor League players are facing currently, this decision provides our players with assurance that they will receive a paycheck through August.” Crane said in a statement released by the club. “We believe that this is the right thing to do.”

The Astros previously announced all Minor Leaguers would be paid through May 31, which is Sunday. The weekly stipend for Minor League players is $400.

“Having a farm system of talented Minor League players is a key aspect of the success of the Astros franchise,” Astros general manager James Click said, via the club statement. “We hope that continuing the stipend for our players will provide them support in these challenging times.”

While Major League Baseball and the Players’ Association continue their negotiations for compensation for a 2020 season shortened because of the coronavirus pandemic, the fate of the Minor League season remains even more uncertain. The Astros, like all clubs, released a handful of Minor League players this week. Teams typically release players between the end of Spring Training and the start of the Major League Draft, which is next month.