The Philadelphia Phillies will face off against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto tonight at 7:07 PM.
However, the Phillies will be missing one of their star players for the series…
And it’s catcher J.T. Realmuto.
Realmuto, who has declined to get the COVID-19 vaccination, won’t be allowed to cross the border into Canada, due to their still on-going vaccination mandates.
He told the Philadelphia Inquirer following the Phillies’ 6-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals:
“I’m a healthy 31-year-old professional athlete.”
He also noted that he spoke with a couple of doctors, and how he’s had COVID in the past with only mild symptoms, so he didn’t feel the need to get it and it was the best decision for him.
He then added:
“I’m not going to let Canada tell me what I do and don’t put in my body.”
By not being able to compete in the series, he’ll be losing around $262,000. However, that’s just a small dent in the five-year, $115.5 million contract he signed with the Phillies in January of last year.
He was also asked if he felt like he was letting his teammates down with his decision, and he responded:
“My teammates know how I feel about them and how bad I want to be out there with them. But it’s just unfortunate that I’m not able to make the trip.”
The Phillies will call up Triple-A catcher Rafael Marchan to take his spot, as backup Garrett Stubbs will start tonight against the Blue Jays.
However, Realmuto isn’t the only one who won’t be making the trip, as teammates Alec Bohm, and starting pitchers Aaron Nola and Kyle Gibson aren’t vaccinated as well.
Realmuto was then asked what would happen if the Blue Jays and Phillies somehow made it to the World Series, and if his opinion would change.
He responded:
“I hope by that point that it’s all figured out and we don’t have to deal with this anymore.”
