Matthews hears a call to action

Sunday’s Jackie Robinson Day commemorations have sparked a groundswell among African American players looking to address the dearth of African Americans in the game, Angels center fielder Gary Matthews Jr. said Monday.

Matthews said he received a voicemail Sunday night from Texas Rangers utility player Jerry Hairston Jr., informing him that players are arranging a conference call to formulate plans.

“What better place to start than with the African American players in the big leagues?” Matthews said. “It’s something the league obviously wants to address, but it’s something the players want to address too.”

Only 8.3% of the players on opening-day rosters this season were African American, a huge drop from the 27% total in the mid-1970s. There are two African American managers and one African American general manager.

“A lot of times in the inner city, kids don’t have the funds for equipment,” Matthews said. “You look at the sport now, kids are getting personal instruction at a young age, buying gloves, having nice fields to play on. There are definitely things to be addressed, and I don’t know where we’d start.”

One place would be the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program, which is subsidized by Major League Baseball and recently opened a gleaming facility in Compton that includes two manicured fields, a locker room, weight room and classrooms.

“I’d be interested in doing something there,” said Matthews, who grew up in Southern California and signed a five-year, $50-million contract in November. “It gives kids an opportunity to play in a structured environment, which is great, especially for those in the inner city who may not know a lot about the nuances of the game.”

Matthews was set to wear Robinson’s retired No. 42 jersey in Boston on Sunday, but the game was rained out. He will instead wear No. 42 Friday night in Angel Stadium against Seattle.

“I wish we could have played Sunday,” Matthews said, “but I still have the opportunity to wear the jersey.”

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com