CINCINNATI — The Cardinals will head to Toronto for a two-game interleague series that begins Tuesday without undeniably their two best players.
Corner All-Stars Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, the Gold Glove first baseman and third baseman, respectively, and the Meal Ticket 3-4 hitters in the lineup, will not be allowed in Canada for not being vaccinated against COVID-19. John Mozeliak, president of baseball operations, said Sunday morning via Zoom.
Goldschmidt, who leads the National League with a .333 batting average, has hit 22 home runs and 74 runs after knocking in two runs with two hits in Saturday’s 6-3 win over Cincinnati here. Arenado had three hits Saturday to push his .299 average with 18 homers and 59 RBIs.
The two will return to the Cardinals for a three-game series next weekend in Washington, but their absence will be felt. They are among the most prominent players on a team who missed a series in Toronto.
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Substitute catcher Austin Romine is also unvaccinated and will miss the trip. All three players will be banned and not paid while not on the team
Arenado said one of the reasons he wasn’t vaccinated was that he and his wife wanted to start a family. Both he and Goldschmidt will be available to the media after Sunday’s game.
The Cardinals have several Memphis players who were raised to go to Toronto. Catcher Ivan Herrera, utilityman Cory Spangenberg and outfielder Conner Capel are added to the roster to replace the three affected by the COVID rules.
The CDC notes that while the vaccines for COVID “were developed rapidly, research and development” on similar vaccines “have been ongoing for decades.” The group also says, “Hundreds of millions of people in the United States have safely received COVID-19 vaccines.”
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