Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto refuses to be swayed to get vaccinated against COVID-19 amid news he’ll miss Philadelphia’s two-game series in Toronto this week.
“I’m a healthy 31-year-old professional athlete,” Realmuto said Monday after the Phillies’ 6-1 loss to the Cardinals, per the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’m not going to let Canada tell me what I do and don’t put in my body.”
Players who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 will be unable to enter Canada to play games against the Blue Jays due to the country’s restrictions. Additionally, players will not be paid for those games, as part of the MLB’s new collective bargaining agreement.
Realmuto will reportedly lose about $262,000 for missing the series, which he called “a little bit of money.” He signed a five-year, $115.5 million contract with the Phillies in January 2021.
“It’s just not worth it,” Realmuto said, calling the vaccination matter an “extremely unfortunate situation.”
Realmuto explained that he has had COVID-19 more than once since 2020 and experienced “super-mild” symptoms. The catcher said he consulted doctors before deciding not to receive a vaccination against the novel coronavirus.
”My teammates know how I feel about them and how bad I want to be out there with them,” Realmuto said. “But it’s just unfortunate that I’m not able to make the trip.”
Triple-A catcher Rafael Marchan will be called up to take Realmuto’s spot, with backup Garrett Stubbs set to start Tuesday night against the Blue Jays.
Realmuto, third baseman Alec Bohm, and starting pitchers Aaron Nola and Kyle Gibson did not join the Phillies in Toronto after Monday night’s game. Instead, they traveled to Miami and will meet the team Friday for their three-game series against the Marlins before the All-Star break.
Bohm reportedly said it was a “personal choice” as his reason for not getting a vaccination, while Gibson cited a medical condition. Nola said he “didn’t want to do it.”
Realmuto declined to discuss a hypothetical scenario, in which the Phillies and Blue Jays make the playoffs and could possibly meet in the World Series.
“I hope by that point that it’s all figured out and we don’t have to deal with this anymore,” he said.