Vaccination status continues to be a subject of interest not only among the regular population but also among athletes. Not so long ago, Kyrie Irving wasn't allowed to play home games with the Brooklyn Nets due to NYC's private sector vaccine mandate.
Now, another team from the Big Apple could face similar repercussions, as two New York Yankees won't be able to play in Canada.
Two Yankees Remain Unvaccinated
According to a recent report, two players are still unvaccinated and only have a couple of days to meet Canada's requirements to play against the Toronto Blue Jays:
"Two Yankees players remained unvaccinated against COVID-19 with about two days remaining left to fulfill Canada’s laws for eligibility to enter the country and play in a series against the division-rival Blue Jays in Toronto that starts May 2," reported Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of The New York Post.They Have 9 Games Up North This Year
MLB players aren't exempt from Canada's laws, meaning that they could be shorthanded when they visit one of the toughest rivals in the division:
"In order to meet Canada’s requirement, a player or staff member must have received either the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine or gotten both shots of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines at least two weeks prior to arriving in Canada," the report added. "The Yankees presumably will travel to Toronto on May 1 after their afternoon game at Kansas City. The Yankees play nine games this year at the Rogers Centre in Toronto."Aaron Boone Says It's An 'Interesting Situation'
Yankees' manager Aaron Boone had already addressed this possibility before the start of the season, stating that it would be an interesting, yet concerning situation:
“It’ll be interesting, to say the least, how that situation unfolds,” Boone said. “I think we still have a few guys at least that aren’t vaccinated. So we’ll be monitoring that situation closely and see how that plays out. But yeah, it’s a concern.”Yankees Will Respect The Players' Decision
Then again, Boone affirmed that both he and the team's front office will respect every player's right to choose whether to get the vaccine or not:
“It’s definitely a personal decision,” the skipper added. “Now, if it’s something that becomes an issue, yeah, I would have conversations with guys. But ultimately it’s something that I do look at as a personal choice.”The Yankees were already in for a tough time against a revamped Blue Jays team, so this is far from ideal for their pennant aspirations.
]]>The Inquisitr
