Ahead of the opener of a four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays north of the border, the Boston Red Sox placed two pitchers on the restricted list.
Starter Tanner Houck -- who told the Boston Globe earlier this month that he's unvaccinated against COVID-19 -- and reliever Kutter Crawford were placed on the restricted list Monday. Houck and Crawford won't be traveling with the Red Sox to the Rogers Centre for a four-game set against the Blue Jays, who are tied with the New York Yankees atop the American League East.
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Houck would have started Tuesday's game in the series, but instead will next start on Friday against the Baltimore Orioles back in the U.S. Boston does not have a starter listed for Thursday's series finale.
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Under Canada's current COVID-19 guidelines, foreigners who aren't fully vaccinated may be denied entry to the country. The Canadian government lifted an exemption in January that allowed unvaccinated athletes and other entertainers to enter the country without quarantining.
Tyler Danish and John Schreiber were recalled from Triple-A Worcester to replace Houck and Crawford on the roster. Danish, 27, had appeared in two games for the Red Sox earlier this season, his first innings in the majors since 2018 and didn't allow a run over 10 batters faced. Schreiber, 28, has not pitched in the majors since appearing in one game for the Red Sox last season.
Boston Red Sox
Chris Sale, currently on the injured list, said during spring training that he remained unvaccinated against COVID-19 as well. Boston has seven more regular season games in Toronto, a four-game set at the end of June and a three-game series at the end of September.