Sometimes I think teams hold voluntary workouts just to have an excuse to criticize players who don’t volunteer:
Pedro Alvarez was not at Pirate City on Monday morning for the start of four days of voluntary workout sessions.
That’s not unusual, as players who are on the 40-man roster are not required to attend the minicamp and most veterans opt out. Neil Walker, Josh Harrison, Gerrit Cole and Francisco Liriano, among others, also were no-shows.
…
Alvarez, a five-year veteran, had incentives to come to minicamp. He missed the final month of last season due to a stress reaction in his left foot. Also, he is still adjusting after being moved from third to first base in mid-August.
Here’s an idea. If you think the player really needs the workout, pay him to come. I’m sure the MLBPA won’t object to that.
I suppose it’s possible for me to agree with something more than I agree with you on this, but it doesn’t seem likely.