Reds Place 4 Players on Restricted List for Series at Blue Jays

Brandon Drury, Tyler Mahle, Albert Almora, and Joel Kuhnel won't make the trip to Toronto.

© David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The 2022 season hasn’t been very kind to the Reds—and it won’t get any easier when the team comes to Toronto.

Cincinnati placed four players—infielder Brandon Drury, starting pitcher Tyler Mahle, outfielder Albert Almora, and reliever Joel Kuhnel—on the restricted list Friday, indicating they are unvaccinated, ahead of the club’s series versus the Blue Jays.

Utility man Taylor Motter, right-hander Graham Ashcraft, and outfielder Aristides Aquino join the Reds as replacements at Rogers Centre. First baseman Joey Votto was also activated off the COVID-19 injured list.

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

Since Mahle wasn’t scheduled to pitch anyways, Drury is the biggest loss for Cincinnati. The former Blue Jay has been one of the Reds better players this season, slashing .245/.333/.509 with seven homers, while playing every infield position except catcher.

The addition of Votto could help offset Drury’s absence, though the Etobicoke, Ont. native has struggled mightily this season, batting just 9-for-74 with one extra-base hit in 22 games. The 38-year-old said he used his time away from the team, which included a High A rehab stint, to map out his new approach.

“I spent most of my time trying to come up with some simple ideas for a return, the adjustments I would like to make,” Votto said. “That’s basically it. And then now I'm executing them in my practice work and in-game, so it's really nice to be back working.”

First pitch is at 7:07 p.m. eastern, where the Blue Jays will send Hyun Jin Ryu to the hill against Luis Castillo for the Reds.