The Philadelphia Phillies announced on Monday that they’re putting catcher J.T. Realmuto, third baseman Alec Bohm, and starting pitchers Aaron Nola and Kyle Gibson on the restricted list ahead of their series in Toronto against the Blue Jays.
Canadian regulations don’t allow people that are unvaccinated for COVID-19 to enter the country. The players will lose pay and service time. Realmuto, for example, will forfeit more than $262,000.
Well, after the Phillies lost 6-1 to the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night at Busch Stadium, Realmuto spoke to the media about his vaccination status and not traveling to Toronto.
Realmuto said, “I’m not going to let Canada tell me what I do and don’t put in my body. It’s just not worth it.”
He called it an “extremely unfortunate situation” and claims to have consulted with doctors before deciding to not get vaccinated.
Realmuto, 31, is a three-time All-Star who signed a five-year, $115.5 million contract with the Phillies ahead of the 2021 season. He currently has a .240/.313/.371 slash line on the season and has been worth 2.2 wins above replacement per FanGraphs.
The Phillies’ series in Toronto will be two games, beginning Tuesday. Philadelphia is 36-31, currently tied for the final National League Wild Card slot.
Here’s a peek at how the baseball world is reacting to Realmuto’s comments:
Canada's not gonna tell J.T. what to do and it's gonna cost him a quarter of a million dollars. https://t.co/zC4KR1U3Md
— Jay Jaffe (@jay_jaffe) July 12, 2022