Report: Unvaxxed MLB Players Can't Travel to Canada, Won't Be Paid for Missed Games

Canada has already banned unvaccinated pro athletes from traveling to Canada, and, in the new CBA, players will reportedly miss paychecks for games lost due to vaccine issues.

Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

If MLB players want to play the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre this year, they’ll need to be vaccinated—and if players miss games because of vaccine issues, they’ll reportedly miss out on paychecks.

Under the new collective bargaining agreement, MLB players from visiting teams will not be paid or receive service time for games missed due to vaccine issues, league and player sources told Duke Castiglione of the WCVB TV station in Boston.

As it stands, the Canadian federal government currently isn’t allowing unvaccinated travelers to across the border, except under special circumstances, which takes the decision out of MLB’s hands. Canada initially introduced a travel exemption—where unvaccinated players could enter the country if they abided by stricter guidelines—but revoked that mandate on January 15.

These conditions are significant for teams such as Toronto’s AL East rival Red Sox, who didn’t reach MLB’s mandated 85% vaccination threshold for Tier 1 staff members last season. The Blue Jays did reach that 85% threshold (which applied to players and staffers with direct contact with players) on June 8, 2021.

The Blue Jays begin their season April 8 at home against the Texas Rangers.