Red Sox president Sam Kennedy says the team didn’t force Trevor Story to get vaccinated before signing him last offseason.
But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t strongly encouraged.
Sam Kennedy clarifies whether the Red Sox forced Trevor Story to get vaccinated
Earlier this week, the Globe’s Alex Speier reported the Red Sox mandated Story get vaccinated before inking him to a six-year, $140 million deal. The Red Sox were without right-hander Tanner Houck and outfielder Jarren Duran for their most recent series in Toronto, due to their unvaccinated status (Canada requires all visitors be vaccinated).
On “The Greg Hill Show” Thursday, Kennedy said the Red Sox can’t require any player to receive any sort of medical treatment. “Let me be very clear about this. While we believe deeply in the effectiveness of the vaccine, and it is our hope that everyone will get the vaccine to protect against Covid, we cannot force or mandate a player to get vaccinated,” he said. “Players have rights that are very clearly outlined in a highly publicized collective bargaining agreement process that unfolded this offseason. We respect those rights, we play by the rules. We cannot force or mandate that a player gets vaccinated.”
Story told the Globe that Canada’s vaccination policy was a deciding factor in his decision to get the shot.
“To me, it’s a very personal decision, whichever way you want to decide. But at the end of the day, that’s what it came down to — playing these games in Canada,” he said.
Xander Bogaerts said in Spring Training that he got vaccinated so he could play in Toronto against the Blue Jays as well.
On Wednesday, Alex Cora suggested more players will be vaccinated when the Red Sox make their next trip to Toronto in September. Chris Sale, who’s currently on the injured list, also isn’t vaccinated.
Ultimately, Kennedy is right: the Red Sox can’t require any player get vaccinated. But it’s fair to surmise it was a conversation they had with Story before signing him. You don’t want to pay a player roughly $23 million annually if he's going to be unavailable for crucial road games against a top division rival.