Whit Merrifield joins Toronto Blue Jays; tells reporters he’s gotten COVID-19 vaccine

Whit Merrifield took all the suspense off the table early on in his tenure with his new club, the Toronto Blue Jays.

The former Kansas City Royals star told reporters in Minnesota that he’s received the vaccination for the coronavirus and will be able to travel with the club when the Blue Jays return to Canada.

“I’ve understood for a couple of weeks now that this might be a possibility. I’ll be in Toronto when the team is there,” Merrifield said, according to MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson.

The Royals traded Merrifield, a two-time All-Star and clubhouse leader, to the Blue Jays in the final hour of Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline.

Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said in the hours after the trade that the Royals did not have any discussions with Merrifield about his vaccination status after their only trip of the season to Toronto.

Merrifield spent his entire career with the Royals, who drafted him in the ninth round of the 2010 MLB Draft. The Royals received two players in return from the Blue Jays, pitcher Max Castillo and infielder Samad Taylor.

Merrifield received criticism near the end of his tenure with the Royals due to his stance on being unvaccinated and comments he made when explaining why he was one of 10 Royals players who did not make the trip to Toronto prior to the All-Star break.

Canada requires citizens of foreign countries to show proof of vaccination in order to enter the country, as does the U.S.

“I understand what Canada has in place right now,” Merrifield said on July 13. “That’s the only reason that I would think about getting it at this point is to go to Canada,” Merrifield said. “That might change down the road. Something happens, and I happen to get on a team that has a chance to go play in Canada in the postseason, maybe that changes.”

Those comments drew the ire of some fans, media personalities and pundits, many viewing it as Merrifield asserting that he’d be willing to get vaccinated for a winning team or if he were traded to a team in contention — not for the Royals.

Merrifield apologized for what he said was a “poorly articulated” point. He said he meant to convey how strongly he felt about the possibility of playing in the postseason.

Merrifield also apologized to members of the Royals front office for the way his comments came across.

In his first game back at Kauffman Stadium following the All-Star break, Merrifield was booed by a portion of the home crowd for the first time during his time with the club.