Manfred rejects notion that minor leaguers aren't paid living wage

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred believes minor leaguers earn enough money playing baseball to maintain a normal standard of living.

"I kind of reject the premise of the question, that minor-league players are not paid a living wage," Manfred told the media Tuesday in Los Angeles prior to the MLB All-Star Game, according to Evan Drellich of The Athletic.

Manfred's comment didn't sit well with Harry Marino, the director of Advocates for Minor Leaguers.

"Most minor-league baseball players work second jobs because their annual salaries are insufficient to make ends meet," Marino said in a statement. "The commissioner makes an annual salary of $17.5 million. His suggestion that minor-league pay is acceptable is both callous and false."

The average annual salary for MiLB players is $4,800 at the rookie-ball levels to about $14,000 in Triple-A.

Manfred's remark also comes on the heels of a $185-million lawsuit settlement, which will see MLB pay minor leaguers due to teams' minimum wage and overtime violations.