The Cardinals won’t have their two best players this week in Toronto.
All-Stars Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt won’t be able to travel north of the border to face the Blue Jays, the team announced, because of Canada’s COVID-19 vaccination rules. The two-game series starts Tuesday.
A number of teams have had to play at less than full strength because of the vaccination status of their players. The Phillies didn’t have the services of Aaron Nola, Kyle Gibson, Alec Bohm and J.T. Realmuto. The Royals weren’t able to bring a whopping 10 players.
While it is only two games, the Cardinals are on the edge of the playoff race, trailing the Brewers by 1.5 games in the NL Central entering Sunday while holding the last wild-card spot by a game over the Phillies. One game could be the difference between reaching the postseason and going home early.
Catcher Austin Romine, a former Yankee, will also miss the trip because of his vaccination status.