Chicago White Sox mandate COVID vaccine for MiLB players

The COVID vaccine has become a highly politicized topic around the world and in the United States in particular. Between misinformation campaigns and claims from dubious ‘doctors,’ there is a great deal of hesitancy, and outright refusal, about getting vaccinated. But none of that matters to the Chicago White Sox.

The White Sox have made their position quite clear. All of their minor league players are required to be vaccinated prior to reporting to spring training.

Chicago White Sox requiring all minor leaguers to be vaccinated

To be fair, this requirement is not just for the players. The White Sox are requiring everyone in their organization to be vaccinated, even if that is not required by the league. It is a matter of keeping their players and staff safe.

This is also not the first time that the White Sox had such a mandate. They had the same requirements last season and had 100% participation. Chances are, this will not be a problem again this season.

However, there are several new players in the White Sox organization. Not all of those players are vaccinated either. At this point, it is unclear as to whether or not they will follow the team’s mandate. Likewise, it is unclear as to how the White Sox will enforce this requirement and what will happen if a player remains unvaccinated when they show up to spring training.

The White Sox may end up with a competitive advantage by mandating these vaccines. With different variants and the continued pandemic, players are still going to miss time. While this will not stop their players from catching COVID, they may be able to lessen the impact.

The Chicago White Sox are requiring all of their minor leaguers to be vaccinated against COVID. This could end up being a competitive advantage.