Report: 10 Unvaxxed Royals Won't Play in Upcoming Series Vs. Blue Jays

10 Royals players, including Whit Merrifield and Andrew Benintendi, are unvaccinated and won't play the Blue Jays in Toronto Thursday.

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When the Reds came to Toronto for a three-game series versus the Blue Jays in May, four of their players could not make the trip because they were unvaccinated. The impact of those missing pieces, which included the club's home run leader Brandon Drury, was considered significant, and Cincinnati lost two of three.

The Royals, who come to Toronto for four games starting Thursday, are set to blow that record out of the water, with 10 players on their 26-man reportedly set to be placed on the restricted list, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

The 10 Kansas City Royals who are not vaccinated and will miss the trip to Toronto are: OF Andrew Benintendi, IF/OF Whit Merrifield, C M.J. Melendez, DH Hunter Dozier, SP Brad Keller, SP Brady Singer, CF Michael A. Taylor, OF Kyle Isbel, RP Dylan Coleman and C Cam Gallagher.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 13, 2022

Andrew Benintendi, Whit Merrifield, M.J. Melendez, Hunter Dozier, Brad Keller, Brady Singer, Michael A. Taylor, Kyle Isbel, Dylan Coleman, and Cam Gallagher—all significant players for Kansas City—are unvaccinated, meaning they can’t enter Canada.

Currently, to enter Canada, the Canadian government requires a person to have received a second COVID-19 vaccine dose—or one dose of Johnson & Johnson—at least 14 days before entry. Due to vaccine issues, players on the restricted list do not get paid or accrue service time.

"For me, it was a personal decision," Benintendi said in a statement, according to The Athletic. "And I'm going to leave it at that."

At 34-53, in the basement of the AL Central, the Royals’ depth will really be tested once they arrive at Rogers Centre. On the Blue Jays' side, a series against the disadvantaged Royals offers an opportunity to make up lost ground in the AL wild-card race.