St. Louis Cardinals All-Stars Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt Cannot Play in Toronto Series Due to COVID-19 Vaccination Status

The St. Louis Cardinals will be without all-star players Nolan Arenado And the Paul Goldschmidt The two-game streak against the Blue Jays in Toronto this week is due to Canada’s COVID-19 vaccination rules, Chief of Baseball Operations John Moziliak told reporters Sunday.

catcher Austin Romain The series will also be missed because it is not immune to COVID-19.

To enter the country, the Canadian government requires a person to receive a second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine — or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine — at least 14 days prior to entry.

All three players will be placed on the restricted list and will not be paid or receive significant league service time for the two games, according to the March agreement between Major League Baseball and the Players Association.

Arenado will lose $384,416, Goldschmidt $241,758 and Romine $10,989.

The three players on the roster will be replaced by striker Ivan Herrera, defensive player Koner Capel and field player/defender Cory Spangenberg in the series that will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, Moziliak said.

Coming into Sunday, Goldschmidt leads the Cardinals in batting average (.333), home runs (22), RBIs (74), core percentage (.416) and slowdown percentage (.603). Arenado is second in the team in average (.299), home runs (18), RBIs (59) and slowdown percentage (.534) and third in base percentage (.363).

Also on Sunday, the Cardinals put out a left-handed player Stephen Matz On the list of injured for 15 days with a sprain of the left knee. Matz (4-3, 5.70 ERA) left his start Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds in the sixth inning after trying to send the Dodger to the first base line. Right-hander James Neale of Triple-A Memphis was called up in a similar move.

The Cardinals (51-45) on Sunday entered second in the National Central League, 1½ behind the first-placed Milwaukee Brewers.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.