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St. Louis Cardinals fans get shocking news on All-Star duo

By Kevin Henry

May 27, 2021; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (46) and third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) look on against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the seventh inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
May 27, 2021; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (46) and third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) look on against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the seventh inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /
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Ahead of a two-game road series against the Toronto Blue Jays, news has come out that the St. Louis Cardinals will make the trip to Canada without two of their All-Star infielders.

In a key two-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays, the St. Louis Cardinals will be missing two of their biggest offensive pieces

John Mozeliak, the president of baseball operations for the St. Louis Cardinals, told reporters on Sunday morning that Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, along with catcher Austin Romine, will not be making the trip to Toronto because of Canada’s vaccination rules. Additionally, pitcher Johan Oviedo has an expired passport and will not be able to cross into Canada.

St. Louis entered Sunday’s play with a 51-45 mark, just 1.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the race for the National League Central lead. Goldschmidt and Arenado have been a key part of the success for St. Louis through the team’s first 96 games, with the duo ranked first and second in home runs (Goldschmidt 22, Arenado 18) and RBI (Goldschmidt 74, Arenado 59). Additionally, Goldschmidt’s .333 batting average, 1.019 OPS, and 190 OPS+ not only leads the team, but also has him in the chatter for National League MVP honors as well.

The duo are not the first MLB players to be impacted by Canada’s COVID policies as, among others, 10 members of the Kansas City Royals recently stayed behind on a trip to Toronto while Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto went very public with his thoughts on the policies that caused him to miss Philadelphia’s series in Toronto.

Arenado and Goldschmidt will likely come under scrutiny for their health decisions that resulted in not being able to play in Toronto, but they are certainly not the first or last MLB players to come under the microscope in what has become a much talked-about subject when teams have to play on the road against the Blue Jays.

With Goldschmidt out of the lineup, Albert Pujols could get more playing time at first base while Brendan Donovan could take over for Arenado at third for the two-game series.

Next. Imagining a City Connect jersey for the Cardinals. dark

St. Louis Cardinals fans were certainly surprised to hear their team would be missing two All-Stars in the middle of a three-city, eight-game road trip to open the post-All-Star break portion of the schedule. However, Arenado and Goldschmidt will be back with the team when the Cardinals open a three-game set in Washington against the Nationals on Friday.

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