Unvaxxed Rangers can’t play in opening series in Toronto

Good morning, folks.

It is Friday, March 11, 2021.

The lockout is over. There will be no more lockout updates.

I am happy about that.

The Texas Rangers first game of the season will be on Friday, April 8, 2022 in Toronto against the Blue Jays. That is exactly four weeks from now.

The game being in Toronto is noteworthy because, currently, professional athletes who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 are not allowed into Canada. Per reports, players who are not vaccinated and cannot travel to Canada for their team’s series in Toronto will be placed on the restricted list. That means they won’t get paid, and won’t get service time.

I don’t know what the Rangers’ players situation is in regards to being vaccinated, but I guess we will know come April 8. Apparently, the Blue Jays players are all vaccinated, but the Jays have reportedly taken vaccination status into account when making moves pre-lockout, and will continue to do so now that the lockout is over, since ending up with a player who can’t play in home games would be a problem.

And no, this isn’t a HIPAA violation.

This appears to be the only series in Toronto the Rangers have this season, so it will be a non-factor after the first series, unless the teams were to meet in the playoffs — and even then, it seems like there’s a decent chance that by October the restriction on athletes who are unvaccinated entering the country may be loosened or lifted.