Unvaccinated Red Sox Players Not Allowed in Canada for Blue Jays’ Series

The Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays are set to begin a three-game series on Tuesday night in Toronto and Boston will be without several players due to Canadian vaccine rules.

Red Sox Manager Alex Cora spoke to the media ahead of this series and said that multiple Red Sox players won’t be able to travel to Toronto for this series due to their vaccine status. 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.

Tanner Houck, one of the Red Sox starting pitchers, is among the players not able to travel and was disappointed he won’t be able to help his club in a divisional game.

In addition to not being able to travel to Toronto, the Red Sox players that are unable to suit up will also not be paid for those missed games.

Yusei Kikuchi of the Blue Jays will face Nathan Eovaldi of the Red Sox in game one on Tuesday. The visiting Red Sox will enter game one of the series as favorites in MLB odds at -1.5 (+135) while the Blue Jays are underdogs at +1.5 (-165).

It’s hard to say what type of formal advantage this will give the Blue Jays in this series, as we don’t know the names or the total number of Red Sox players who weren’t able to travel with the club due to their vaccination status. So any wager in favor of the Sox should come with some hesitation until more information comes out.

Keep an eye on this story throughout the day, where we should be able to get a clearer picture of this situation from both a Red Sox point of view and a betting perspective. It’s also something you should monitor throughout the season, at least until Canada’s rules regarding vaccination status remain the same. Boston is probably not going to be the only team to head to the Rogers Center shorthanded.