Trevor Story’s agreement to join the Red Sox was delayed over his vaccination status, according to ESPN.
The holdup, which lasted about 72 hours, was due to the infielder being unvaccinated against COVID-19, Jeff Passan said in a story published Thursday.
Story and the Sox eventually came to terms on a six-year, $140 million deal, and the team introduced the new second baseman to the media Wednesday, but there “were concerns” that the deal could fall apart because of Story’s reluctance to get vaccinated.
The ESPN story said that on Tuesday, Story agreed to get vaccinated.
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While Story has not publicly discussed his vaccination status, he told ESPN he will be “available for my teammates 162-plus. That’s the main part.”
That could be a nod to Canada’s mandate that professional athletes who travel into the country to play must be vaccinated against COVID-19. The Red Sox are scheduled to play 10 games against the Blue Jays in Toronto this season.
Story isn’t the only Red Sox player to recently get vaccinated. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts recently told reporters that he now has gotten the shot as well.
Still, other members of the team continue to refuse. Chris Sale, who acknowledged in 2021 that he hadn’t had his shots, told reporters in March that he remains unvaccinated.