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That was the situation when the piping hot Sox arrived in Toronto. The Sox were without rookie outfielder Jarren Duran (four steals in five attempts) and bullpen stopper Tanner Houck, two young stars who chose “personal freedom” over helping the team. Both players have refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19, which does not qualify them to play in Toronto. They appear to be following the lead of Chris Sale who has been on the shelf for two years but said he was still unvaccinated when we last asked him.
It’s unlikely the anti-vaxxers would have made a difference on Monday, but the Sox saw their seven-game winning streak end with a 7-2 win at Rogers Center. The previously up-and-coming Sox fell to 2-6 against the Blue Jays and 7-15 in the American League East as the Jays came within a half game of second-placed Boston. Sox manager Alex Cora won’t have his starting midfielder or closer for the next two games in Toronto.
Duran has only played 13 major league games this year (46 in two seasons) but was an offensive catalyst as the Sox beat the Guardians in Cleveland over the weekend. He turns 26 in September and is fighting to stay in the big leagues, but he says it’s a “personal decision,” telling MassLive, “I’m still doing my research.”
dr Google, no doubt.
There was a time when a kid would do anything to get a tag in the big leagues. Now the opportunity is being rejected in the name of personal liberty.
The aforementioned Houck made it clear he won’t shoot, while also saying, “I’ll do whatever it takes to help us win.” He said his family doesn’t believe in vaccines.
For what it’s worth, both Duran and Houck clearly have no problem with needles. Both players have more tattoos than Lady Gaga and Harry Styles.
The anti-vaccination Sox have another minor league outfielder Ryan Fitzgerald, a former independent leagueman who fought his way up to Triple-A Worcester, but The Globe’s Alex Speier said: “If I miss mine [big league] therefore shot [no vaccination], It is what it is. I won’t think twice about it.”
Boston’s young holdouts have a role model in Sale, who told us last year and again this spring that he’s unvaccinated. Sale’s status has yet to matter as he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020 and broke a rib during winter rehab. It will be interesting to see if nothing changes this summer, when Sale is expected to field and the Sox finish their three-game regular season in Toronto on the last weekend of September.
Canada currently requires all visitors to the country to be vaccinated 14 days prior to entry. Players who don’t get the shot won’t get paid for games they miss in Toronto. They are blacklisted and the team is powerless to sanction them. The Red Sox appear to be fearing an embarrassing sale and are going to great lengths not to acknowledge that their big left-hander may not be available for important games.
But what happens when Sale returns to rotation next month and the rules don’t change in Canada? What will it look like if Cora has to line up his other starters in late September to ensure Sale doesn’t face Toronto in the final weekend of the regular season (Sale wouldn’t qualify for potential Toronto playoff games either)?
Everyone agree?
This has nothing to do with politics or science. It’s about professional athletes being available for competitions. How many of you have jobs where there are no consequences if you Select to make yourself unable to work?
The Yankees took care of the issue in April. All the Yankees did the team thing.
Not the Anti-Vax Red Sox. The Sox were the only one of 10 playoff teams last year to fall short of the 85 percent immunization threshold, and now they’re a playoff contender who says nothing about offending players who value personal freedom over commitment for the team.
Wonder what Ted Williams would think? Williams did not speak about his “personal freedom” when called to serve his country in World War II and again in the Korean conflict. Williams flew 39 combat missions in Korea and lost nearly five seasons of his prime while serving his country.
Today, the Red Sox have players who care more about their personal freedom than helping the team.
As of Monday, the rising Sox had won seven straight games, 11 of 13, and owned a 19-4 record in June. They were a season-high, 11 games over .500 and winning seven straight series.
They fell hard on Monday and outfielder Rob Refsnyder, taking the lead in place of Duran, went 0-4 and flew out to end the game with two on board in the ninth.
Back in Boston, Houck and Duran are scheduled to train together at Fenway Park on Wednesday.
Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @dan_shaughnessy.
