After a year off, minor league baseball is back this year, albeit with a much different structure that has led to there being about a quarter fewer teams (and players).

That has left many players scrambling to find jobs, with some teams in the Partner Leagues — a new designation for leagues that have less of a connection to MLB than the leagues housing their affiliates — still assembling their rosters in the days before play started last week.

For fans following players with Hawaii connections, the movement isn’t confined to the minor leaguers.

After eight seasons with the Cardinals, second baseman Kolten Wong (Kamehameha-Hawaii/Hawaii) signed with the Brewers in the offseason. His brother Kean was called up Saturday and started at second base for the Angels. Kean Wong (Waiakea) was in the majors for seven games total with the Rays and Angels in 2019 but not last season.

Catcher Kurt Suzuki (Baldwin) is in his 15th major league season and in the offseason moved to his fifth team, leaving the Nationals (with whom he won a World Series in 2019) for the Angels.

Outfielder Ka‘ai Tom (Saint Louis) was a Rule 5 draft pick of the A’s (grabbed from the Indians) in December, released in April and claimed by the Pirates. Besides appearing in 19 games in the outfield between Oakland and Pittsburgh, Tom pitched a scoreless inning for the A’s. He was placed on the injured list on May 21 with a left wrist contusion.

Kirby Yates (Kauai) signed with the Toronto Blue Jays in the offseason but was lost during spring training to an elbow injury that will keep him out all season.

Jordan Yamamoto (Saint Louis) was traded to the Mets this offseason and has been up and down between the major leagues and the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse. He was placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday with right shoulder soreness and transferred to the 60-day IL that same day.

Josh Rojas (Hawaii) and Isiah Kiner-Falefa (Mid-Pacific) were the only two Hawaii major leaguers playing with the same team they played with last year, and in Kiner-Falefa’s case it comes with the greatest positional stability he’s seen in a while.

Drafted as a shortstop in 2013, he also played a lot of catcher, second base and third base the past few years but now is back as the Rangers’ starting shortstop.

Rojas has been a fixture in the starting lineup for the Diamondbacks, playing the middle infield and corner outfield spots, after getting a handful of starts the previous two seasons.

Some players who had pinged between the majors and minors the past few years are currently without MLB franchises.

Greg Garcia (Hawaii) spent spring training with the Tigers. He was released before the season and then signed in April by the Phillies, who assigned him to their alternate site. This month he opted to become a free agent.

Catcher David Freitas (Hawaii), on the other hand, has moved on to play for the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization after playing parts of three seasons (2017-19) in the major leagues with the Braves, Mariners and Brewers.

Down in the minors, second baseman Christian Donahue (‘Iolani) is back with the Cubs’ Double-A team in Tennessee but this week went on the injured list. Several other players started the year on the inured list and have yet to play: pitcher Rico Garcia (Saint Louis/Hawaii Pacific), Double-A Richmond; pitcher Joey Cantillo (Kailua), Double-A Akron; pitcher Dylan Thomas (Hawaii), Low Class A Fort Myers; .

Pitcher Ryley Widell (King Kekaulike) was released by the Twins last September and signed in January with the Dodgers organization, which placed him with their Great Lakes team in High Class A, the highest level he’s pitched at.

Mark Karaviotis (Maui) recently signed on with the Kane County Cougars of the American Association, a Partner League of Major League Baseball.

Outfielder Shane Sasaki (‘Iolani) was assigned to Australia’s Perth Heat in December and is expected back once more minor leagues kick off later this summer but hasn’t gotten his 2021 assignment yet. Other players yet to get their 2021 assignments include Beau Branton (Punahou), Mariners; Trayson Kubo (Leilehua), A’s; and Micah Yonamine (‘Iolani), Phillies.

Pitcher Codie Paiva (Kamehameha) was released by the Marlins and recently signed with Equipe Quebec of the Frontier League, an MLB Partner League.

Middle infielder Brent Sakurai (Mid-Pacific) is in his fourth season with the Frontier League’s Gateway Grizzlies. He is currently listed as inactive.

20210530 Hawaii Baseball Re… by Honolulu Star-Advertiser