Ten Royals players to miss Toronto series due to vaccination requirements

The Royals will be missing ten players off the roster for their upcoming series in Toronto due to requirements by the Canadian government that all visitors be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, according to manager Mike Matheny. Whit Merrifield, Andrew Benintendi, Hunter Dozier, Cam Gallagher, MJ Melendez, Brady Singer, Brad Keller, Kyle Isbel, Michael A. Taylor and Dylan Coleman will all be placed on the restricted list and will not make the trip. The Royals will be able to call players up from the minors without making 40-man roster moves. The Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers played without several regulars in the starting lineup on Tuesday, missing players like Clay Dungan, Nathan Eaton, Michael Massey, and Nick Pratto.

The Royals will officially announce roster replacement and scheduled pitching assignments tomorrow.

The unvaccinated status of Michael A. Taylor and Andrew Benintendi could hurt their trade value. The Yankees were reportedly interested in both players, but if they are unavailable for games against a division rival like the Blue Jays, they will not be as valuable.

The Royals made a trip to Toronto last year, but the Canadian government granted an exemption to MLB in 2021. The players that do not make the trip will not be paid nor receive service time. Last week, the Philadelphia Phlllies played a series in Toronto without catcher J.T. Realmuto, third baseman Alec Bohm, and pitchers Aaron Nola and Kyle Gibson.