Hundreds of Minor League players have been cut and hundreds more are expected to lose their jobs as baseball grapples with the near certainty that the minor league season will be canceled, according to sources.

Club officials said a vast majority of the players likely would have been released toward the end of spring training even if baseball hadn't been halted by the coronavirus pandemic.

In recent weeks, owners of minor league teams have begun laying off front-office and game-day workers and citing the cancellation of the season as the reason.