ST. LOUIS – The Philadelphia Phillies will be without J.T. Realmuto, Alec Bohm, Aaron Nola and Kyle Gibson during a two-game series in Toronto due to Canadian restrictions on unvaccinated travelers.
Nola started on the mound for Philadelphia's game Monday night at St. Louis and was not scheduled to pitch against the Blue Jays during the series that begins Tuesday. Bohm, an infielder, came out of Monday's game with a dislocated left ring finger.
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President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters before the game that the four players will be placed on the restricted list and forfeit two days of pay and major league service time in accordance with the terms of MLB’s collective bargaining agreement.
“I’m not going to let Canada tell me what I do and don’t put in my body for a little bit of money,” said Realmuto, a three-time All-Star. “It's just not worth it.”
Two days of pay amounts to $262,363 for Realmuto, $184,835 for Nola, $76,923 for Gibson and $7,857 for Bohm.
“I'm a healthy, 31-year-old professional athlete,” Realmuto said. “I just didn't feel the need to get it. I've had COVID a couple times, super mild symptoms, back when it first came out. When it came time to decide whether I needed a vaccine or not, I talked to a couple doctors that I knew and told them my story, and really decided I didn't think I needed it. I wasn't going ot take it just because I was told to, basically.”
X-rays on Bohm's finger were negative for a fracture, and he may avoid the injured list. If he does go on the IL, he won't need to be added to the restricted list.
The 25-year-old told reporters prior to the game that he wished his “personal choice” didn’t affect the whole team.
“Yeah, that’s the difficult part of it,” Bohm said. “I wish it didn’t have to be like that. It’s a personal deal. I’ve made a choice, and there’s consequences that come with that and I have to suffer those. It is what it is.”
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