Whit Merrifield, other KC Royals explain why they didn’t receive COVID-19 vaccination
Royals infielder Whit Merrifield did not receive the COVID-19 vaccine and will miss the team’s upcoming road trip vs. the Blue Jays in Canada because of the country’s mandate for all visitors.
So why did he choose not to get the vaccine?
“This wasn’t something that I took lightly. I had a really dear friend of mine die from COVID, a college friend. He passed last fall of COVID. So it’s something that I’ve taken seriously,” Merrifield said. “But talking to people, I feel that the vaccine initially — what it was supposed to do, it’s not doing it — and if it was doing what it was supposed to do, stopping the spread of COVID — I would probably have a little more willingness to take it.
“But it’s not doing that, and I don’t feel like COVID is a threat to me. So it was a choice I made when talking to my family, talking to my wife.
“Didn’t think the risk was worth it, honestly.”
Merrifield is one of 10 Royals players who won’t make the trip with the team to Toronto to play July 14-17, leaving the club with a depleted roster before Kansas City heads into the All-Star break.
Players have known since the collective bargaining agreement that was signed in March and the release of the season’s schedule that if they did not receive the COVID-19 vaccine, they could not play in Toronto.
Kansas City Royals will be without 10 players for road games in Toronto: The details
Merrifield said he was following whether or not Canada would lift their COVID-19 vaccine mandate before the Royals were scheduled to play in Toronto. He didn’t rule out the possibility of still getting the vaccine if he were traded to another team that played Toronto in the postseason.
“I understand what Canada has in place right now. 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.”
All 10 of the Royals players, including Merrifield, were placed on the restricted list after Wednesday’s game. Replacements from the minor leagues will not be announced until before the game on Thursday, manager Mike Matheny said.
Merrifield referenced the COVID outbreaks in the National Hockey League in part of his decision not to get the vaccine.
“I think we saw what the NHL, who had almost 100% vaccination — COVID still spread throughout the league and they had a shutdown because of it,” Merrifield said. “It’s not a foolproof vaccine that we’ve come to learn.”
Every player in the NHL last season was vaccinated other than the Detroit Red Wings’ Tyler Bertuzzi. Experts said the league’s outbreaks were due to the fact that ice rinks are one of the worst environments for COVID to fester in sports, Yale University epidemiology professor Krystal Pollitt told the Seattle Times. Despite the outbreak, very few players and staff members suffered adverse effects from COVID-19.
“Granted, it’s helping people to stay out of the hospital,” Merrifield said. “But I don’t feel like I’m in that demographic. And if I am, I get it, and I get sick and get in the hospital. That’s on me. But if it was foolproof like it was supposed to be, I would get the vaccine and it would stop me from spreading COVID. No problem. But unfortunately, that’s not what it’s doing.”
Merrifield’s streak of 553 consecutive games played in the major leagues was snapped on Monday because of a foot injury.
Matheny also said the Royals organization has brought in medical professionals and experts to “talk guys through tough conversations.” The manager also said several staff members would not accompany the team to Toronto but said he could not say who.
Besides Merrifield, first baseman Hunter Dozier, outfielders Michael A. Taylor, Andrew Benintendi and Kyle Isbel, catchers Cam Gallagher and MJ Melendez, and right-handed pitchers Brad Keller, Brady Singer and Dylan Coleman will be put on the restricted list, Matheny said.
Here are the explanations of six more of those players who spoke to reporters Wednesday after the restricted list was announced:
Hunter Dozier
First baseman Hunter Dozier said he got COVID in 2020. He also said he doesn’t “do any vaccines.”
“It’s a personal choice. I got COVID in 2020. I have antibodies,” Dozier said. “Me personally, I don’t do any vaccines. I live a healthy lifestyle. I eat healthy. I work out. I want my body to naturally fight stuff off. I’m not against vaccines. It’s just a personal preference, and I’m not judging anyone who wanted to get it or didn’t want to get it.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says all everyone eligible, regardless of immune status, should receive the COVID-19 vaccine. A positive antibody test result shows you may have antibodies from a previous infection or from vaccination, the CDC says, but does not mean you have a specific amount of immunity or protection from infection.
Andrew Benintendi
All-Star left fielder Andrew Benintendi declined to comment on his reasons for not getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
“For me, it’s just a personal decision, and I’m going to leave it at that,” Benintendi said.
The Gold Glove left fielder is reported to be in trade talks, including with American League teams that could possibly play the Blue Jays in the postseason, one of which is the New York Yankees.
MLB Network’s Jon Morosi also reported that the Yankees had interest in Royals center fielder Michael A. Taylor, who was also one of the 10 players on the restricted list.
Mayor Eric Adams lifted New York City’s private sector COVID-19 mandate that restricted Nets point guard Kyrie Irving from playing home games last season before the Yankees’ and Mets’ seasons started.
All Yankees players made the trip to Toronto to play and are presumably vaccinated. Benintendi’s and Taylor’s vaccination statuses could play a role in trade talks between the two teams and any other contenders who might play in Toronto later in the season and in the postseason.
Brad Keller
Starting pitcher Brad Keller would have normally been scheduled to make a start in Toronto.
“I think it just comes down to a personal decision,” Keller said. “I wish the circumstances were different. I think all of us can speak that we want to be up there playing and fighting for the team.”
He said he “didn’t really think too much about changing” his decision on whether to get the COVID-19 vaccine knowing he would miss a scheduled start. Keller also said he would throw a longer bullpen scheduled for when he would have made his start, Saturday, to stay fresh.
Matheny declined to name any probable pitching starters for the upcoming series.
Dylan Coleman
Coleman praised the Royals leadership for not requiring the players to be vaccinated.
“The above staff, the owner, GM, everybody, it’s been really cool to see how they’re handling it where it’s not like forcing (us),” he said. “We all have our own opinion, so I feel like it’s really been good that the higher ups respect that.”
Coleman said he was wary of the vaccine, in part because of the speed with which it was developed. But he did ponder getting the vaccine.
“It just felt very rushed to me, like as soon as it came out I feel like that mainly was it, how ... it was very forced upon or whatnot but besides that it was just like a personal opinion that I didn’t want to get into,” he said. “I felt strong like that and I didn’t want to, not give in, but it was just a personal opinion, not to get it.”
Brady Singer
After picking up the win Wednesday against Toronto, Singer talked about missing the trip to Toronto.
“We’ve talked about it as a team,” Singer said. “We’re not judging them. They’re not judging us. So we all made that choice.”
Singer called the decision to not be vaccinated was his.
“Yeah, it’s just a personal choice,” he said. “We all have that choice. We all you know made a choice and that was mine.”
Singer said he will continue to work in Kansas City and prepare for the second half of the season while the Royals are in Toronto.
MJ Melendez
A discussion with his family led to Melendez choosing not to be vaccinated.
“It’s just something that my family decided a while back,” Melendez said, “and just really a decision that me and my family had made and I’m just sticking with it.”
Melendez said it was “tough” to miss the series in Toronto, but was hopeful that Canada would change its laws to allow unvaccinated players into the country. Instead, he’ll watch the Royals games on TV.
“Having my teammates support is always a great thing for me,” he said. “And I mean, obviously I want to be there. It’s just unfortunate I’m mot going to be able to, but I’m really looking forward to watching how they play up there, and I feel like they’re gonna do a really, really good job.”
