Question: when does a mlb player run out of options

title: Major League Baseball transactions
text: Once a player has been placed on a team 's 40 - man roster , a team has 3 option years on that player . A player is considered to have used one of those three option years when he spends at least 20 days in the minors in any of those 3 seasons . A team may have a fourth option year on a player with less than five full seasons of professional experience , provided that both conditions below are met . A player has not spent at least 90 days on an active professional roster in a season . Minor leagues that play below Class A Advanced have seasons that are shorter than 90 days , and as such , any player who spends a full season in a rookie or Class A ( short - season ) league will receive a fourth option year . A player has not spent at least 60 days on an active professional roster AND then at least 30 days on a disabled list in a season . Only after 60 days have been spent on an active professional roster does time spent on the disabled list count towards the 90 - day threshold . As with the prior example , this can not occur with players who spend a full season in a rookie or Class A ( short season ) league .