The Toronto Blue Jays acquired Whit Merrifield from the Kansas City Royals ahead of the 2022 MLB trade deadline. Merrifield profiled as the perfect fit for a number of teams. He features defensively versatility and is a pure hitter at the plate. But there is one issue standing in the way. Merrifield isn't vaccinated, and Canada has a vaccination requirement.

Unless Merrifield gets the jab, he won't be playing home games unless he can work out some sort of exemption. The Royals had a number of players who were unable to travel to Toronto due to the vaccination requirement. Merrifield was one of those players.

Blue Jays interim manager John Schneider's latest comment on the matter won't ease fans' worries about Whit Merrifield's home game status, per Blue Jays columnist Shi Davidi.

“nothing new,” re vax status. “Obviously we know he wasn't there in Toronto, but totally up to him. And I'm sure that he's had conversations with his family and other people. So, you know, we're leaving that decision up to him.”

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The decision is Merrifield's to make. And the Blue Jays are prepared to respect whatever choice he makes. However, one would have to imagine Toronto was aware of his decision prior to acquiring him. If there was any doubt, they likely would have backed off in trade discussions. It would be a major blow if Whit Merrifield was unable to play at home.

This is a developing story and we will continue to provide updates on Merrifield's status as it pertains to playing at home in Toronto.