Whit Merrifield has received his COVID-19 vaccination and will be able to follow the Toronto Blue Jays back home on August 12th.

Merrifield, 33, was acquired at the MLB trade deadline from the Kansas City Royals, but had been unvaccinated previously. For anyone to enter either Canada or the United States from other countries, it&#8217;s mandatory for them to have received either two doses of the mRNA vaccine, or the Johnson and Johnson single shot vaccine.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Whit Merrifield tells us that he has been vaccinated and will be in Toronto when the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlueJays</a> are.
&mdash; Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) <a href="https://twitter.com/KeeganMatheson/status/1555301829843603459?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2022</a></blockquote>
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When the Royals had visted Toronto earlier in the year, Merrifield remained in Kansas City as he had been unvaccinated. At the time, he said he could consider getting vaccinated to travel to Canada.
On Thursday, Merrifield said he could&#8217;ve handled those comments better and that he&#8217;s excited to play meaningful baseball late in the season.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Merrifield says he could have handled the situation last month &#8211; his comments regarding vaccination &#8211; better. Says he’s “excited” about the opportunity to play meaningful ball late in the season.
&mdash; Rob Longley (@longleysunsport) <a href="https://twitter.com/longleysunsport/status/1555302587179716610?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Because the Blue Jays provide healthcare to their players by way of team doctors, <a href="https://www.wilaw.com/covid-19-raises-privacy-issues-for-major-league-baseball/">they are considered healthcare providers under HIPAA laws</a>. Due to that, player consent is required to disclose an individual&#8217;s medical information as relevant to team status. This is why after the trade deadline, GM Ross Atkins dodged questions regarding Merrifield&#8217;s vaccination status.
Nonetheless, Merrifield will make his debut Thursday batting eighth in the order, while righty relievers Anthony Bass and Zach Pop will join the club in the bullpen.
In coinciding moves, the Jays have optioned C Zack Collins, lefty reliever Matt Gage and right reliever Matt Peacock to the Triple-A Bisons.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
ROSTER MOVES:
🔹 UTIL Whit Merrifield, RHP Anthony Bass, and RHP Zach Pop have reported to the team and will be active tonight
🔹 C Zack Collins, LHP Matt Gage, and RHP Matt Peacock optioned to Triple-A <a href="https://t.co/ZyG4LsIy1S">pic.twitter.com/ZyG4LsIy1S</a>
&mdash; Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1555291573348343809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at<a href="http://www.twitter.com/zjlaing"> @zjlaing</a>, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.
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Whit Merrifield has received his COVID-19 vaccination and will be able to follow the Toronto Blue Jays back home on August 12th.



Merrifield, 33, was acquired at the MLB trade deadline from the Kansas City Royals, but had been unvaccinated previously. For anyone to enter either Canada or the United States from other countries, it's mandatory for them to have received either two doses of the mRNA vaccine, or the Johnson and Johnson single shot vaccine.

https://twitter.com/KeeganMatheson/status/1555301829843603459

When the Royals had visted Toronto earlier in the year, Merrifield remained in Kansas City as he had been unvaccinated. At the time, he said he could consider getting vaccinated to travel to Canada.

On Thursday, Merrifield said he could've handled those comments better and that he's excited to play meaningful baseball late in the season.

https://twitter.com/longleysunsport/status/1555302587179716610

Because the Blue Jays provide healthcare to their players by way of team doctors, <a href="https://www.wilaw.com/covid-19-raises-privacy-issues-for-major-league-baseball/">they are considered healthcare providers under HIPAA laws</a>. Due to that, player consent is required to disclose an individual's medical information as relevant to team status. This is why after the trade deadline, GM Ross Atkins dodged questions regarding Merrifield's vaccination status.

Nonetheless, Merrifield will make his debut Thursday batting eighth in the order, while righty relievers Anthony Bass and Zach Pop will join the club in the bullpen.

In coinciding moves, the Jays have optioned C Zack Collins, lefty reliever Matt Gage and right reliever Matt Peacock to the Triple-A Bisons.

https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1555291573348343809

<hr />

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at<a href="http://www.twitter.com/zjlaing"> @zjlaing</a>, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.

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