MESA, Ariz. -- Major League Baseball announced Friday that all Spring Training camps have been suspended, effective immediately. Major League players have been given the option to either return home, remain in their Spring Training city or return to their club’s home city.

The announcement came one day after MLB declared that it has canceled remaining Spring Training games and has delayed the start of the regular season because of the national emergency created by the coronavirus pandemic.

The A's were scheduled to open the season at the Oakland Coliseum with a four-game series vs. the Twins from March 26-29, followed by a three-game series against the Astros from March 30-April 1.

Here is what we know:

When will the season start?
There is no official start date for the regular season at this time. Opening Day had been scheduled for Thursday, March 26.

MLB will continue to evaluate ongoing events. Guidance related to daily operations and workouts will be relayed to all 30 clubs in the coming days.

How will the schedule change to accommodate the late start?
According to the release sent by MLB, the league and teams have been preparing a variety of contingency plans regarding the 2020 regular-season schedule. MLB will announce the effects on the schedule at an appropriate time and will remain flexible as events warrant, with the hope of resuming normal operations as soon as possible.

What’s going to happen with the rest of Spring Training?
Forthcoming Spring Training games were canceled as of 1 p.m. PT on Thursday, and 2020 World Baseball Classic qualifying games scheduled in Tucson, Ariz., were postponed indefinitely.

What about Minor League Baseball?
Minor League Baseball announced Thursday that the start of its regular season, originally scheduled for April 9, will be delayed indefinitely.

How do ticket refunds work?
So far, the only information on refunds applies to Spring Training tickets. Fans who bought single-game tickets with a credit card from the Hohokam Stadium box office, stadium kiosks, athletics.com or tickets.com will be automatically refunded to the credit card used at the time of purchase, including fees.

Those who purchased tickets using cash at the stadium must mail the tickets, along with a note that includes your name, address and phone number to:

A’s Ticket Office
Spring Training Cancellation
P.O. Box 2220
Oakland CA 94621

Season-ticket members will receive a credit for games and season parking passes that can be used for 2021 Spring Training game tickets. Fans can call the Oakland A’s Ticket Services office at (510) 568-5600 or email [email protected] to decide whether they would like the credit refunded or rolled over to be applied to the 2021 season. If you paid for the season by check, the refund will be done by check and will take six to eight weeks.

Group tickets will be refunded automatically to the credit card used at the time of purchase.

How might this affect the A’s once play resumes?
The delayed start to the season provides more time to rehab for injured players, such as A.J. Puk and Stephen Piscotty. After getting shut down with a left shoulder strain for about five days last week, Puk’s initial best-case scenario was to make the Opening Day roster as a reliever with the original start to the regular season not enough time for the left-hander to get stretched back out for a starting role. Piscotty, who is currently shut down from all baseball activities with an oblique/rib cage strain that has kept him out of Cactus League action, could now miss fewer games in the regular season than the A’s were anticipating.