Street. LEOUIS, MO – SEPTEMBER 11: Nolan Arenado #28 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates with #46 Paul Goldschmidt after hitting a home double in the eighth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium on September 11, 2021 in St. Louis. Lewis, Missouri. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)
The St. Louis Cardinals are about to start a series in Toronto but All-Stars Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt will not be with them because they are not immune.
The end of July and early August will be crucial for the St. Louis Cardinals as the club tries to make progress in the tight NL Central race. But two of their superstars will put them behind the eight ball in the last week of July as they head to Toronto for a set against the Blue Jays.
According to Card insider Derrick Goold, 1st base officer Paul Goldschmidt and 3rd baseman Nolan Arenado will not make the trip to Toronto because they are not immune and Canada’s restrictions on unvaccinated players crossing the border remain in place.
Additionally, catcher Austin Romijn is also not immune and will not make the trip north of the border while Johan Oviedo will not travel to meet the Blue Jays because his passport is expired.
Cardinals: Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt Unvaccinated, Exit Toronto Series
This is the last thing the Cardinals need in their current situation.
Not only are St. Louis now 1.5 games in the division, but they are now on the road to take on the Blue Jays that have been rising recently. And they’ll have to do it without their most effective bats in the lineup with Goldschmidt and Arenado out of the equation.
True, this is only for one series, but it’s a time when the cards can’t afford to lose any ground and they are now in great danger of doing so.
If there’s an optimistic Cardinals fan, they’ll certainly point to the fact that Kansas City was without 10 players, mostly key players in the squad, when they traveled to Toronto with two wins and St. Lewis has much more secondary firepower. But that downplays that the Blue Jays have looked a lot better lately than they did at that point during the slide.
Regardless, this is a lively series that will be a short-handed St. Louis, which could prove to be a difficult sight for the Redbirds.
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