Stephanie Logue 

Staff Writer 

szl414@psu.edu

Players who have not been vaccinated against the coronavirus will not be allowed to fly to Canada to face the Blue Jays and will not be compensated for those games. A person must have had a second vaccine shot — or one dose of Johnson & Johnson — at least 14 days before entering Canada, according to the ministry. The provision that they won’t be compensated was originally reported by Boston television station WCVB in a side letter between MLB and the players’ group. On April 8, Toronto plays Texas at home. 

Without special permission, unvaccinated foreign tourists are not permitted to enter Canada under existing Canadian border rules. In addition, the Canadian government’s special status for unvaccinated athletes, which permitted them to cross last year, expired in January. M.L.B. and the players’ union agreed as part of a recent collective bargaining agreement that will allow the 2022 season to begin that players who are unable to enter Canada due to their vaccination status will be placed on the league’s restricted list, where salary and service time will not be awarded, according to the league. (Players’ eligibility for wage arbitration and free agency is determined by their service time.)

“It’s a concern,” union head Tony Clark said Friday. “I think as everyone knows — appreciate and respect the decisions that are made, particularly in regard to player health and community health. But that is an issue, as one in the pandemic itself that we’re navigating domestically, that we’re going to have to continue to try to work through here moving forward.”

Some players may be forced to sit out critical games against the Blue Jays as a result of the new rules, which kicks out on April 8 at home at the Rogers Centre. A couple of the league’s 30 teams had not reached the full vaccine requirement of 85 percent as of late last season, allowing for eased pandemic restrictions. The Boston Red Sox, who had a major viral epidemic last season, were the only club out of the ten that made the playoffs last year who had not received that immunization. 

The Yankees’ manager, Aaron Boone, a division rival and frequent opponent of the Blue Jays, expressed concern to reporters on Sunday that his players might be unable to play in Canada. He told reporters in Tampa, Fla., where the club is holding spring training, that “we still have a few people that are not vaccinated.” Despite initial opposition from many players last year, the number of M.L.B. players who were vaccinated slowly increased. Around 84 percent of all players and selected staff members were properly immunized as of late last season. Some team management expressed open displeasure with their players’ refusal to receive vaccinations. Other major leagues, like the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League, have significantly higher vaccination rates. These teams are both based in Canada.