ARLINGTON -- The Texas Rangers MLB Youth Academy is reopening on Monday with the beginning of the Baseball and Softball RBI programs.

Approximately 450 high school baseball and softball players will be competing on 26 RBI teams in both Junior and Senior Division play for the next seven weeks at the Mercy Street Sports Complex presented by Toyota in West Dallas.

The leagues will be operating under the guidelines set for youth sports participation as part of the State of Texas’ reopening.

“The Texas Rangers are very happy to welcome back all of the baseball and softball players to the MLB Youth Academy,” said Juan Leonel Garciga, the Rangers' director of youth baseball and academy programs. “Many of these athletes were deprived of their spring seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it will be exciting to have them back on our fields.”

Garciga said strict protocols will be in place to ensure the health and safety of the players, staff and spectators. Baseball games will be played on Oates Field and Field of Dreams, with softball competition taking place on Hambone Field and Clayton Kershaw Challenge Field.

Due to safety protocols, the Globe Life Indoor Training Center will remain closed at the present time.

Off the field, the youth athletes are continuing to take part in virtual classes offered by Buckner International’s Family Hope Center at Rangers MLB Youth Academy. Online summer classes in both English and Spanish began last week. In-person classes will resume once the academy’s indoor facilities reopen.

The academy will also host a webinar for all RBI participants with Ranger pitcher Taylor Hearn at 2 p.m. CT on Monday. The Rangers are discussing plans for additional summer programs.