MLB All-Star Arenado to miss Toronto games – and $384,416 – due to vaccine status
Two of the St Louis Cardinals’ best players, third baseman Nolan Arenado and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, won’t be making the trip to Toronto for a short series with the Blue Jays because they haven’t received the Covid-19 vaccination. Canada has restrictions on travelers who aren’t vaccinated against the virus.
The Cardinals announced on Sunday that catcher Austin Romine also will not be going to Canada with the team for its Tuesday and Wednesday games.
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Arenado, Goldschmidt and Romine will be placed on the restricted list and forfeit pay and major league service time in accordance with the terms of MLB’s collective bargaining agreement. Arenado will lose $384,416, Goldschmidt $241,758 and Romine $10,989.
Goldschmidt leads the Cardinals in most offensive categories, including batting average (.333), home runs (22), RBIs (74), on-base percentage (.416) and hits (116). Arenado has 102 hits, 18 home runs and 59 RBIs.
Romine joined the Cardinals earlier this season as backup for the injured Yadier Molina, who is expected to rejoin the team next month.
The Cardinals are not the first team to be without players due to Canada’s vaccine laws. The Kansas City Royals had to do without 10 players for their series in Toronto earlier this month. The Blue Jays went on to win three of the four games in the series. Coming into the Cardinals’ series against the Jays, 35 players have been unable to travel to Toronto due to their vaccine status.
Vaccine status is also a problem for some athletes coming into America. Novak Djokovic’s hopes of playing in the US Open suffered a blow after the tournament said it would respect the United States government’s rules on the Covid-19 vaccine. The US requires non-citizens to be fully vaccinated against coronavirus to enter the country, meaning Djokovic, who has made it repeatedly clear that he will not take the vaccine, will not be allowed entry when the tournament starts in New York City next month.