Kansas City Royals’ Whit Merrifield apologizes for ‘poorly articulated’ vaccine comments

Kansas City Royals mainstay and clubhouse leader Whit Merrifield’s toe injury has subsided enough for him to return to the lineup, but it remains to be seen if the fire his recent comments sparked has completely died down.

He tried his best to smother any lingering flames prior to Friday night’s game.

Merrifield was set to return to the lineup for the series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays at Kauffman Stadium, the first game after the MLB All-Star break and the first game since the Royals were forced to juggle their roster due to the vaccination status of 10 players.

Merrifield was one of the 10 players, arguably the most-prominent of the group, who did not travel to Toronto last week due to travel restrictions that require proof of vaccination against the COVID-19 coronavirus in order for foreign travelers to enter Canada.

While discussing his decision not to get vaccinated at the end of the Royals’ last homestand, the two-time All-Star said, “(If) something happens and I happen to get on a team that has a chance to go play in Canada and the postseason, maybe that changes.”

Merrifield’s comments drew criticism from fans and pundits, many interpreting his remarks to mean that Merrifield might be willing to get vaccinated for another team but not for the Royals and that he might welcome a trade to another club.

Merrifield on Friday apologized for those previous comments.

“I’m just sorry that I poorly articulated the point I was trying to make,” Merrifield said. “It’s an uncomfortable topic and I started rambling on. I tried to make a point about my passion for winning that had no relevance to the topic that was being discussed. For that I am truly sorry.

“But I do love Kansas City. I’ve loved every day I have here, every time I’ve got to share the locker room with this team. That hasn’t changed and won’t change.”

Merrifield said he spent a lot of time this past week “reaching out to people that I know and care about and making sure we’re on the same page.”

Asked if he wanted to clarify his stance that he might consider getting vaccinated in different circumstances, Merrifield said, “If what was standing between me and the playoffs was this vaccine, I would consider getting it. I didn’t say I would get it for another team or wouldn’t get it for this team. It was simply a point about showing how much I value playing in the playoffs. Again, it was not the time or place to say something like that.”

The Royals promoted players from their minor-league farm system in order to fill out their roster in Toronto. They went 1-3 in the four-game series. Their victory in the first game of the series marked the biggest upset in MLB this season.

After the series, Merrifield and the rest of the unvaccinated players were taken off the restricted list and returned to the active roster.

He was set to take the field in front of Kansas City fans for the first time on Friday.

“Whatever reaction it is, it’s something I’ll have to deal with,” Merrifield said. “These guys in here, they know me. They know what I’m about, how much I care for them. Every time I’ve taken the field and got between the lines, I’ve given it everything I’ve had every day I’ve been out there. If people feel a need to express their feelings toward me, that’s perfectly fine, and it is what it is.”

This season, Merrifield has slashed .240/.292/.343 in 84 games.

After a dreadfully-unproductive offensive start, he picked up his performance in the batter’s box. In 58 games since May 10, he has slashed .286/.342/.423 with five home runs, 15 doubles, 30 RBIs and 11 stolen bases (13 attempts).

“Sometimes emotions get the best of you and you say some stuff, maybe, you didn’t mean,” Royals infielder Nicky Lopez said in Toronto. “But it wasn’t out of spite of us and it wasn’t out of spite of the city. So I think we’ve got to get over that hump. There’s no rift between us.”

Merrifield, drafted by the Royals in the ninth round of the 2010 MLB Draft, has spent his entire professional career with the Royals.

Current GM J.J. Picollo oversaw the scouting department when Merrifield was drafted. President of baseball operations Dayton Moore has been in charge of the organization for Merrifield’s entire tenure.

During a radio appearance last week on sports radio 810 AM, Moore said he was “very disappointed and pretty disgusted” when he first heard about Merrifield’s comments. But Moore also added, “I know that’s not who Whit is” and that Merrifield was apologetic for how that came out.

“I have to accept that and move on,” Moore said. “I’m not going to kick him when he’s down.”

Merrifield said he has talked to both Moore and Picollo since his controversial comments and that they’re “on the same page.”

On Friday, Royals manager Mike Matheny sought to turn the page from the vaccination issue on Friday

“I think Whit has addressed it,” Matheny said. “He has talked with the group here, individually, and to us we’ve moved on. It’s time to play baseball.”