Baseball won't be featured at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but the sport will make its return in 2028, when the Games are held in Los Angeles.

With that in mind, it appears that the door is cracked open for current MLB players to participate in the Games for the first time ever.

"Some Major League Baseball owners are increasingly supportive of sending major leaguers to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles," The Athletic's Evan Drellich reported on Wednesday.

That report dropped after Casey Wasserman, Chairperson of the Wasserman Media Group, made a presentation to owners at the league's owners' meetings outside Orlando, Florida, this week. Wasserman, who led Los Angeles' bid for the Games, pitched a tournament structure that would reportedly have "minimal" impact on MLB's 2028 regular season.

It isn't uncommon for a professional sports league to halt play for international competition. The NHL did so in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 and will return to the Games in 2026 and 2030. The WNBA has sent professionals every time since 2000.

That's never happened with MLB, but 2028 could very well mark the first time. The 2023 World Baseball Classic brought in record television ratings and attendance, and there was a palpable buzz and excitement surrounding the tournament worldwide.

A similar showcase on an even bigger global stage can certainly be beneficial to MLB as it looks to grow the game.

Of course, the biggest obstacle is the regular season, but Drellich reported that Wasserman discussed a "condensed schedule" that would occur over "perhaps five or six days." The tournament would include "six or eight countries."

In addition, the baseball portion of the Olympics could be scheduled around the league's All-Star break, creating less disruption to the schedule. The 2028 Games are set for July 14 to July 30, and the All-Star Game is always in mid-July. Drellich further mentioned the possibility of the All-Star Game being canceled for one year only for the Olympics.

He also made clear that no decision is imminent on the matter and that "a huge number of hurdles and logistics would need to be accounted for." One of the bigger hurdles is that player participation in the Olympics would need to be approved by the MLBPA.