2022 COVID Impacts on the Team.

Rovin Romine

Johnny Rico
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Last year we had a thread to track Covid ups and downs: e.g., https://sonsofsamhorn.net/index.php?threads/now-its-sales-turn-sale-has-covid-will-not-start-sunday-9-10-update.34434/page-7#post-4606513

Along with Shaw and Iglesias, we saw the likes of: Raynel Espinal, Stephen Gonsalves, Brad Peacock, John Schreiber, Taylor Motter, Kutter Crawford, Michael Feliz, and Kaleb Ort. Ultimately, we nipped into the post season and had a very credible run there.

This year we hopefully won't have the same COVID chaos, but I thought we might track whatever impacts there are this year.

Per the thread, it seems the new rule for 2022 is that vaxxed players can return to the club as soon as they are symptom free, though there is some kind of panel they have to be cleared by.

Updating as we go:

Gone to the COVID-IL and Back:

Kevin Plawecki: April 18. (+ test) (vaccinated)​
returned April 25.​
Christian Vazquez: April 19. (+ test) (vaccinated)​
returned April 20. (2 games missed)​
Jonathan Arauz: April 19. (+ test) (vaccinated)​
rehab assignment on May 2.​
taken off rehab (and assigned to Worcester) on May 12.​
Alex Cora: April 21. (+ test) (vaccinated)​
returned April 27.​
Tanner Houck: April 25. (unvaccinated - cannot play in Canada.)​
returned April 29.​
Cutter Crawford: April 25. (unvaccinated - cannot play in Canada.)​
returned April 29.​
Enrique Hernandez: May 6. (Flu-like symptoms - can use COVID-IL for this or close contact without a positive test.)​
returned May 7.​
Rich Hill: May 6. (+ test.)​
returned May 14​
Jason Varitek: May 6 to ?​
Active Callups (and Returns) due to the COVID-IL:
Connor Wong: April 18. (for Plawecki)​
optioned April 25 to Worcester - as Plawecki returned.​
Tyler Danish: April 19.​
optioned April 24 to Worcester - Rich Hill returns from bereavement list.​
(see below - immediately called up for Toronto 1 series.)​
Rob Refsnyder: April 19.​
optioned April 29 to Worcester.​
Ronaldo Hernandez: April 19. (Rich Hill on bereavement list 4/19, this makes RH the second catcher)​
optioned April 20 to Worcester, when Christian Vazquez returned.​
John Schreiber: April 25.​
optioned April 29 to Worcester.​
Tyler Danish: April 25.​
optioned April 29 to Worcester.​
Jaylin Davis: April 29.​
optioned May 2 to Worcester.​
Jarren Duran: May 6.​
optioned May 7 to Worcester.​
John Schreiber: May 6.​
(May 14: Jaylin Davis DFA, Schriber added to the 40 man, Cutter Crawford sent to Worcester)​

 
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Red(s)HawksFan

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You tracked players brought up as COVID replacements last year. Should that continue? In which case, Connor Wong got the call to replace Plawecki.
 

streeter88

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No. Because there is no impact on the team (yet).

If they can't play in Toronto, we can make a note of it at the time, because it may result in more limitied options. But Sale (for example) is still on the DL.
Ok. Sorry if I was a bit impatient. I want all that news out there as quickly as possible. Economics is the only way to drive change, and if fans vote with their wallets, we might start to see some change.
 

Rovin Romine

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Ok. Sorry if I was a bit impatient. I want all that news out there as quickly as possible. Economics is the only way to drive change, and if fans vote with their wallets, we might start to see some change.
Yeah, I get that. Completely. But this thread is to to track ups and downs, ons or offs the rosters, etc. I think the old thread gave a good overview of the impact of COVID on the Sox last year. I was hoping to do an analysis of how the team played during that stretch, so we could get a better sense of things, but the thread was locked. I'd rather that not happen to this thread.

If you want to speculate on replacements and the like, this would also be the place to do it.

Wong is the right choice here.
 
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CaptainLaddie

dj paul pfieffer
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Sep 6, 2004
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where the darn libs live
Just worth pointing out: the USA has the same policy as Canada, which is that unvaccinated players can't enter the country. The Blue Jays are just fully vaccinated as a team, staff, and organization. So this isn't a Canada-only policy where unvaccinated players can't come in. The US has the same policy.
 

RIrooter09

Alvin
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Jul 31, 2008
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Just worth pointing out: the USA has the same policy as Canada, which is that unvaccinated players can't enter the country. The Blue Jays are just fully vaccinated as a team, staff, and organization. So this isn't a Canada-only policy where unvaccinated players can't come in. The US has the same policy.
Yeah the Blue Jays decided as a team to be adults about this. Can’t say the same for the Sox.
 

soxhop411

news aggravator
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Dec 4, 2009
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Toronto as an organization isn't likely to employ players or staff who are unable to participate in half of the team's games.
Yah. This is most likely the reason. Same for any of the TOR/Canada based teams. It’s one thing for US players to miss a few series when going to Canada for an NBA/MLB/NHL etc. it’s a whole different issue when they would miss half of a teams games because they would not be allowed in the US.
 

CaptainLaddie

dj paul pfieffer
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Sep 6, 2004
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where the darn libs live
Also worth pointing out that Canadian-born players living in America who are unvaccincated *can* enter the country. The new market inefficiency is finding dual-citizens who are unvaccinated?
 

trs

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Also worth pointing out that Canadian-born players living in America who are unvaccincated *can* enter the country. The new market inefficiency is finding dual-citizens who are unvaccinated?
True! That being said, I do think that ALL players will need a negative test to enter the US. Given that MLB no longer is regularly testing for Covid, I wonder if this requirement may catch a few symptomless players, as theoretically without a negative test, they will have to quarantine in Canada.
 

Ale Xander

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Austin Davis to (phantom) IL or DFA perhaps?
Has to be a reliever leaving I would think
 

Rovin Romine

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Updating as we go:

Gone and Back:

Kevin Plawecki: April 18. (+ test) (vaccinated)​
Christian Vazquez: April 19. (+ test) (vaccinated)​
Jonathan Arauz: April 19. (+ test) (vaccinated)​
Active Callups and Returns from Covid:
Connor Wong: April 18. (for Plawecki)​
Tyler Danish: April 19.​
Rob Refsnyder: April 19.​
Ronaldo Hernandez: April 19. (Rich Hill on bereavement list 4/19, this makes RH the second catcher)​
 
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Rovin Romine

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And - does anyone have a summary of the Covid-19 rules for this year? What do players have to do to come back? Is there a minimum time? How does the optioning work? Etc.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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And - does anyone have a summary of the Covid-19 rules for this year? What do players have to do to come back? Is there a minimum time? How does the optioning work? Etc.
It appears that placement on the COVID IL removes a player from the 40-man roster temporarily, but it will take a commissioner's exemption to add non-40-man players to the active roster without consequence. I found this article with the following passage:

If a team “experiences a significant number of COVID-19 IL placements” or restricted list placements due to inability to enter Canada over vaccination status, and the commissioner determines “it implicates a club's ability to field a competitive team," then the team can “add substitute players to its major league active list temporarily.” Players added who are then sent back to the minors will not be considered to be an optional or outright assignment.
I read that to mean that Refsnyder is officially on the 40-man roster and can't be sent back to Worcester without a DFA. Unless in the meantime the Sox experience an even larger outbreak and the commissioner grants them leeway.
 

Mueller's Twin Grannies

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Dec 19, 2009
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If Vásquez and Araúz are both sick, they might be out for a bit. We could be getting a lot of Wong over the next week or so.
 

YTF

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Rovin Romine

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Updating as we go:

Gone to the Covid-IL and Back:

Kevin Plawecki: April 18. (+ test) (vaccinated)​
Christian Vazquez: April 19. (+ test) (vaccinated)​
returned April 20. (2 games missed.)​
Jonathan Arauz: April 19. (+ test) (vaccinated)​
Active Callups (and Returns) due to Covid:
Connor Wong: April 18. (for Plawecki)​
Tyler Danish: April 19.​
Rob Refsnyder: April 19.​
Ronaldo Hernandez: April 19. (Rich Hill on bereavement list 4/19, this makes RH the second catcher)​
sent down April 20, when Christian Vazquez returned.​
 

Rovin Romine

Johnny Rico
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
23,687
Miami (oh, Miami!)
Updating as we go:

Gone to the Covid-IL and Back:

Kevin Plawecki: April 18. (+ test) (vaccinated)​
Christian Vazquez: April 19. (+ test) (vaccinated)​
returned April 20. (2 games missed)​
Jonathan Arauz: April 19. (+ test) (vaccinated)​
Alex Cora: April 21. (+ test) (vaccinated)​
Active Callups (and Returns) due to Covid:
Connor Wong: April 18. (for Plawecki)​
Tyler Danish: April 19.​
Rob Refsnyder: April 19.​
Ronaldo Hernandez: April 19. (Rich Hill on bereavement list 4/19, this makes RH the second catcher)​
sent down April 20, when Christian Vazquez returned.​
 

BostonFanInCanesLand

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It’s restricted list eve! I can’t wait to see @Rovin Romine ’s new color scheme.

The only impact we know of to date is that Whitlock will start in place of the non-border-crossing Houck.
 

BaseballJones

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Oct 1, 2015
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he did. Why they used him down 3 instead of up 2, up 1, down 1….who knows
Oh whoops, my bad. I stopped paying attention after 6 innings. I had heard in the pre-game that the plan was for him to piggy-back off Hill. So when he didn't come in as the first guy out of the pen, or the second guy, or the third guy...I was like, ok, I guess they're not going to use him.

I thought the plan was for him to come in RIGHT after Hill, which would have been perfect, up 2-0, with Houck in there available to go about 3 innings and hopefully keep the lead. But.....nope.

Very strange.
 

Petagine in a Bottle

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Jan 13, 2021
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Yeah, was easy to miss him today. My guess is that they wanted Houck to close the game out with a lead, 3 innnings? So they needed to try to steal a few innings, and got burned. Guess that’s what happens when the starter only goes 4. But it seems like going right to Houck after Hill would have been the move. Puzzling.
 

Petey Bienel

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Feb 8, 2020
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Gonna guess that's Brasier or Houck.
Mass live reports that Brasier is vaxxed.

https://www.masslive.com/redsox/2022/04/boston-red-sox-preparing-to-be-without-multiple-unvaccinated-players-including-tanner-houck-for-4-games-in-toronto-this-week.html

The Red Sox are not expected to be missing any key position players and have listed Nate Eovaldi, Nick Pivetta and Michael Wacha as their starters for the first three games of the series. The vaccination statuses of some bullpen members are unknown though Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier and Garrett Whitlock are among those who have said they are vaccinated. The identities of any unvaccinated players other than Houck likely won’t be known until the Red Sox place players on the restricted list
TBH, checking for my fantasy roster. Got to set it in a points league for the week and want to play Verdugo.