Blue Jays’ Montoyo unbothered by restriction on unvaccinated players in Toronto

Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo is dismissive of the idea Canada’s COVID-19 regulations will give his club an advantage this season.

“I don’t feel like that, rules are rules,” said Montoyo on Monday from the team’s spring training site in Dunedin, Fla., a day after New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone voiced his concern about losing some of his lineups when his club visits Toronto.

“We follow them like everybody else, that’s how I see it. We followed them last year, didn’t we?” said Montoyo, referring to the Blue Jays having to play most of their so-called home games in Dunedin or at their triple-A park in Buffalo, N.Y., last season.

Canada still has a mandatory quarantine period for unvaccinated travellers entering the country. That effectively means unvaccinated players on visiting teams are unable to play. Because of these federal regulations Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi, reportedly the only unvaccinated player in the NHL has not played in Canada this season.

Sources confirmed to The Canadian Press on Friday that MLB players on teams visiting the Blue Jays who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 would be placed on a restricted list for the length of their series in Toronto.

Putting players on the restricted list will open up roster spots for the visiting team. The unvaccinated players will not enter Canada, will not get paid during those series, and will not be credited with major league service, during such period of unavailability.

“It will be interesting, to say the least, how that situation unfolds,” Boone told reporters in Tampa on Sunday. “I think we still have a few guys at least that aren’t vaccinated, so we’ll be monitoring that situation closely and see how that plays out. But yeah, it’s a concern.”

The Yankees make their first trip to Toronto for a three-game series that begins May 2 against their American League East rivals.

Media reports out of Boston say that several key members of the Red Sox also aren’t vaccinated. Boston’s first trip to Toronto begins on April 25.