With Canada continuing to impose significant restrictions on people who are against being vaccinated, two star MLB players are set to miss an upcoming series against the Toronto Blue Jays.
According to ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan, two members of the St. Louis Cardinals cannot make the trip to Toronto due to be unvaccinated against COVID-19. The two players are Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado – both of whom are coming off All-Star selections.
Obviously it’s a huge loss for the Cardinals ahead of this series. Goldschmidt and Arenado are their starters at first base and third base respectively.
With the Cardinals two games out of the NL Central and holding onto their Wild Card spot by one game, this series against the Blue Jays will be critical.
Paul Goldschmidt has been a top-20 voter getting in the NL MVP race in eight of the last nine seasons. This season he leads the National League in runs, batting average, slugging percentage, OPS and OPS+. He leads all of baseball with a .416 on-base percentage.
Nolan Arenado has won nine straight Golden Gloves and is on pace for a 10th. He has 102 hits, 42 runs, 59 RBIs and a .299 batting average this season.
The Cardinals will need a lot of guys to step up in order to replace that kind of production.
Can the Cardinals beat the Blue Jays without Goldschmidt and Arenado?