The Philadelphia Phillies announced on Monday that they’re putting catcher J.T. Realmuto, third baseman Alec Bohm, and starting pitchers Aaron Nola and Kyle Gibson on the restricted list ahead of their series in Toronto against the Blue Jays.
Canadian regulations don’t allow people that are unvaccinated for COVID-19 to enter the country. The players will lose pay and service time. Realmuto, for example, will forfeit more than $262,000.
Well, after the Phillies lost 6-1 to the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night at Busch Stadium, Realmuto spoke to the media about his vaccination status and not traveling to Toronto.
Realmuto said, “I’m not going to let Canada tell me what I do and don’t put in my body. It’s just not worth it.”
He called it an “extremely unfortunate situation” and claims to have consulted with doctors before deciding to not get vaccinated.
J.T. Realmuto on not being able to join the Phillies in Toronto due to his vaccination status: pic.twitter.com/7suM66OYaB
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) July 12, 2022
J.T. Realmuto said he consulted with doctors he knew and decided he did not need a COVID vaccine. He will forfeit close to $260,000. "I'm not going to let Canada tell me what I do and don't put in my body for a little bit of money," Realmuto said. "It's just not worth it."
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) July 12, 2022
J.T. Realmuto called vaccination issue an "extremely unfortunate situation." He said he consulted doctors before deciding not to get shot. "I'm a healthy, 31-year-old professional athlete," he said, adding, "I'm not going to let Canada tell me what I do and don't put in my body."
— Scott Lauber (@ScottLauber) July 12, 2022
Realmuto, 31, is a three-time All-Star who signed a five-year, $115.5 million contract with the Phillies ahead of the 2021 season. He currently has a .240/.313/.371 slash line on the season and has been worth 2.2 wins above replacement per FanGraphs.
The Phillies’ series in Toronto will be two games, beginning Tuesday. Philadelphia is 36-31, currently tied for the final National League Wild Card slot.
Here’s a peek at how the baseball world is reacting to Realmuto’s comments:
https://t.co/eF6Iu3f6Fw pic.twitter.com/A5QZ8djoy7
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) July 12, 2022
Canada's not gonna tell J.T. what to do and it's gonna cost him a quarter of a million dollars. https://t.co/zC4KR1U3Md
— Jay Jaffe (@jay_jaffe) July 12, 2022
The takeaway for me, If I was a Phillies fan, would be that he talked about the money he’d lose, not the need to help the team succeed.
— Gordon Comstock (@keeptheasp) July 12, 2022
Most ignorant part of JT Realmuto's answer is that $260K is "a little bit of money".
— Austin Krell (@NBAKrell) July 12, 2022
I believe strongly that this money should be forfeited directly to fans via hot dog cannon. https://t.co/fijAOR2ICI
— Ted Berg (@OGTedBerg) July 12, 2022
Can't believe these crazy rules that are only unique to Canada https://t.co/qWivuDHIxO pic.twitter.com/IWnJtkpTql
— Andrew Stoeten (@AndrewStoeten) July 12, 2022
it’s probably a HIPAA violation but i found J.T. Realmuto’s doctor pic.twitter.com/vuFs71f8WJ
— OLIVIA witherite⁷ (@Oliviawitherite) July 12, 2022
JT Realmuto’s doctors https://t.co/8NaZ7FVCHl pic.twitter.com/IyRYFwYEeI
— Marcus Hayes (@inkstainedretch) July 12, 2022
