By Myles Vazquez
Major League Baseball has introduced a new policy, the Amateur Recovery Period, aimed at giving young players structured time off to rest, recover, and train without pressures of performing under the spotlight. Professional clubs are not allowed to scout amateur players or obtain on-field intelligence during certain months, thereby inhibiting outside pressures and overuse risks. The policy reflects growing concerns that the current amateur baseball schedule too often cluttered with traveling, showcases, and continuous competition is too short to provide sufficient rest and recovery.
Starting this off-season, there will be a recovery period between October 15, 2025, and January 15, 2026, for high school players, and between November 15, 2025, and January 15, 2026, for college players. During those periods, clubs will be barred from conducting a broad range of evaluation practices, such as game, showcase, or tournament scouting, collecting information at workouts, bullpens, or drills, and examining statistics in throwing, hitting, catching, or fielding. Essentially, any amateur talent assessment by a team activity is forbidden.
That is not to suggest, however, that there are no opportunities for private player training or compliance with individual developmental programs during recovery windows. Players are free to throw or hit privately, as long as club-scout-related observation or information collection is not involved. The league would like to emphasize that it is not the intent to close down development but to shift emphasis towards more long-term athletic health and sound progression. For example, players are encouraged to spend time doing more strength and conditioning, lower body and core training, arm care protocols, general endurance, and progressive ratcheting into spring season conditioning.
The policy comes from coordination among medical staff, scouting directors, college coaches, and other stakeholders. Everyone agreed that the “always on” mentality among amateur baseball has heavily contributed to the rise in pitcher injuries, especially those trying to maximize visibility at showcases while exhausted. Dr. Gary Green, MLB’s medical director, warned young pitchers are overusing themselves all year round in anticipation of being scouted by professional teams. He assured that creating the Amateur Recovery Period shows a message that MLB is committed to protecting young arms and is taking tangible steps toward supporting player health.
In implementing this policy, MLB is seeking to balance the two aims of performance and well-being. While agreeing that exposure and evaluation are key to advancement, the league is stepping back from the intensity of scouting culture. The Amateur Recovery Period is a proactive step towards putting player well-being first among other things — needing focused blocks where external pressure is lowered and players can center on beneficial development without continuous criticism. Ultimately, by making recovery and rest a part of the amateur baseball infrastructure, MLB is working to reduce injury, extend the length of player careers, and facilitate improved development from youth stages all the way up to the pros.
