Major League Baseball is preparing for its upcoming Players’ Weekend in which players gets to choose nicknames to go on the backs of their jerseys.

Well, the decision isn’t totally the players’. MLB has a say, too.

In the case of Alex Dickerson, he didn’t get his first choice — the first four letters of his last name.

“We tried every angle, and they weren’t having it for whatever reason even though it’s on the back of my jersey every day,” he said.

So Dickerson settled for ... “Grandpa”?

“That’s they used to call me back in high school after my first back surgery,” Dickerson said.

It should be noted that “Dick” will be Orioles’ pitcher Richard Bleier’s nickname.

John Shea is The San Francisco Chronicle’s national baseball writer. Email: jshea@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JohnSheaHey