Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt are the newest additions to the list of unvaccinated All-Stars who won’t be making the trip to Toronto.
The St. Louis Cardinals head to Canada for a two-game series beginning on Tuesday without their star infielders. Catcher Austin Romine will also not make the trip. All three players are not vaccinated against COVID-19.
All three players will be placed on the restricted list and forfeit pay, according to the terms agreed to earlier this year in the MLB’s collective bargaining agreement.
Arenado stands to lose $384,416, Goldschmidt $241,758 and Romine $10,989.
According to the Canadian government, everyone has to be fully vaccinated, receiving their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna or one dose of Johnson & Johnson, at least 14 days before entering the country.
This is hardly a new issue for the MLB. Many teams have been forced to reveal which players are unvaccinated in anticipation of the matchup.
The Cardinals’ shortened roster pales in comparison to the 10 Kansas City players -- nearly 40% of the typical dugout -- who sat out the Royals' series in Toronto right before the All-Star break. Among those 10 were 2022 All-Star Andrew Benintendi and two-time All-Star Whit Merrifield.
MLB
In addition to losing all but one in the four-game series against the Blue Jays, the Royals continue to find themselves in hot water as players like Merrifield questionably defended their decision to remain unvaccinated.
By the end of last season, roughly 88% of players, coaches and trainers in MLB locker rooms were vaccinated.
What are the Cardinals losing out on this week?
Goldschmidt and Arenado, both veterans of the game, were recently named to their seventh All-Star Game. St. Louis currently sits a game-and-a-half behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the top spot in the NL Central.