KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals will be without 10 of the 26 players on their active roster for their upcoming trip to Toronto due to Canadian restrictions on travelers who are not vaccinated against COVID-19.
Manager Mike Matheny said Wednesday that the club will be without position players Andrew Benintendi, Hunter Dozier, Cam Gallagher, Kyle Isbel, MJ Melendez, Whit Merrifield and Michael A. Taylor along with pitchers Dylan Coleman, Brad Keller and Brady Singer.
The team will play four games in Toronto. The 10 players will be placed on the restricted list and will lose four days of pay and time in the Major Leagues under the terms of the MLB collective bargaining agreement.
“It’s an individual choice,” Matheny said. “The organization has done a very good job of bringing in professionals and experts to talk to kids about difficult conversations and then putting them in their hands to make the decisions that they think are best for them and their families.”
Benintendi will lose $186,813, Merrifield $153,846, Keller $106,044 and Dozier and Taylor $98,901 each. Among the others, Gallagher’s missed pay will be $19,451, Singer $15,962, Isbel $15,426, Coleman $15,399 and Melendez $15,385.
The club will name their replacements on Thursday, along with an announcement about other staff members who will not be traveling with the club.