Here is why MLB removed photos of Kansas City Royals players from the team’s website

One of the first things Major League Baseball did after locking out players Wednesday night was to radically change each team’s website.

MLB Advanced Media runs each team’s website, and fans going to the Royals’ site will see no photos or stories of the current players, even pitcher Taylor Clarke, who signed hours before the shutdown.

The Royals’ roster page shows names with ages, heights and weights, but no photos.

Click on catcher Salvador Perez’s name, and you’ll get information on his career. But instead of a photo of Salvy, there is a shot of the Kauffman Stadium lights.

Instead of news stories on the players the Royals signed Wednesday or the award winners, there is an open letter from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, who explained “Simply put, we believe that an offseason lockout is the best mechanism to protect the 2022 season. We hope that the lockout will jumpstart the negotiations and get us to an agreement that will allow the season to start on time.”

The Royals’ website includes list and trivia stories, which were written by Jeffrey Flanagan, who retired after last season as the team’s beat writer for MLB.com.

There is also a story explaining the changes to the website, including why player images were removed.

Here is an excerpt: “The reason for this is because the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the players and the league expired just before midnight on Dec. 1 and a new CBA is currently being negotiated between the owners and the MLBPA.

“Until a new agreement is reached, there will be limitations on the type of content we display. As a result, you will see a lot more content that focuses on the game’s rich history.”

The Royals’ website does include ways to make a deposit on 2022 season tickets and a link to the MLB Shop, where the league is selling caps, hoodies and jerseys.

Not every player’s jersey is available, but as of Thursday morning, you could shop for Perez’s jersey — even though he is locked out.