DETROIT -- Eric Hosmer, the Royals' first-round pick in this year's First-Year Player Draft, will resume his interrupted playing career in the Royals' organization immediately.
Hosmer was cleared by Major League Baseball on Wednesday after a dispute with the Players' Association was settled and a grievance was dropped.
Hosmer will report on Thursday for workouts at Surprise, Ariz., where he'll play with the Royals' team in the Arizona Instructional League which began play on Monday.
"We're delighted that it's behind us and we're looking forward to Eric getting going in the instructional league," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said.
The settlement cleared the way for third baseman Pedro Alvarez to sign a contract, reportedly for $6.355 million, with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Alvarez was the No. 2 overall choice in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft, and Hosmer was the No. 3 pick.
It was a dispute between Alvarez and the Pirates that led to the Players' Association filing a grievance that ensnared Hosmer and the Royals. The grievance centered on the belief that the Commissioner's Office unilaterally extended the signing deadline on Aug. 15 without the consent of the Players' Association. A hearing before an arbitrator began on Sept. 10, and a scheduled resumption on Tuesday, was canceled.
Hosmer, an 18-year-old first baseman from American Heritage High School, agreed to a $6 million bonus with the Royals and signed a contract. That was never an issue; only the timing of the agreement regarding the deadline was under question.
In fact, Hosmer reported to Idaho Falls in the rookie Pioneer League and played three games before the grievance was filed. The Commissioner's Office ordered Hosmer pulled from competition pending a resolution of the matter.
As part of the agreement announced Wednesday, it was made clear that deadline extensions can be made only by agreement between the Commissioner's Office and the Players' Association.
"From the beginning our primary concern was allowing Mr. Alvarez and Mr. Hosmer to begin their professional careers as quickly as possible, and this settlement accomplishes that goal," said Rob Manfred, MLB's executive vice president of labor relations. "We fully support and welcome the changes to the manner in which the Aug. 15th deadline will be administered. We believe that the changes will result in a cleaner and more consistent application of the deadline, which is in the best interests of both clubs and players."
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