Two-thirds of MLB teams, 20 of 30, have reached the 85% threshold of vaccinated players and on-field personnel that allows them to relax COVID-19 protocols, with two more on their way to joining the majority.
The Boston Red Sox still are not one of them.
Triple-A players are included in the Tier 1 individuals that count toward the 85%, as Triple-A is currently the only level from which players can be promoted to the majors. The number of unvaccinated individuals with the WooSox is one of the hurdles the organization is facing when it comes to trying to reach that magic number.
Efforts to persuade players and personnel to get the vaccine remain ongoing. Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham doesn’t look at the slow movement on the vaccinations as a challenge, but more as a process toward a decision that ultimately lies in the hands of each individual.
“[There are] conversations that we have with players and staff as an organization and as a baseball department trying to educate our staff and players the best we can, whether that’s through Zoom calls with our medical staff, team doctors or infectious disease experts,” Abraham said. “Ultimately it’s a player’s decision, and obviously it remains our hope we have more guys get vaccinated, but it’s everyone’s individual decision and we certainly respect that.
“I think in terms of the atmosphere we have on the major league and minor league side, a family-type atmosphere, where if people have questions or concerns we’re certainly open and willing to try to get the answers to that questions,” Abraham added. “I can’t speak for other teams and what conversations they have with players, we can only focus on ourselves and the group of players that we have and hope that we can continue to raise that rate on our end.”
Some of the benefits of reaching the vaccination threshold include removing requirements for face masks in dugouts and bullpens and loosening restrictions for what players and personnel can do outside the park and hotel on road trips.
“It is frustrating because you’d like to be at 100%,” team president and CEO Sam Kennedy said on May 29. “It’s really important with the situation we’re dealing with to have as many people vaccinated as possible. With that said, you have to respect differences of opinion, thought, and approach to combatting COVID. We respect the individual players who have decided to not get vaccinated. The honest answer is it is frustrating because I know the coaching staff and the players who have been vaccinated, you’d like to see a relaxing of protocols across the game,” Kennedy said.
Meanwhile, the WooSox as an organization has been doing its part to help get the Worcester community vaccinated. A vaccine equity clinic, focused on reaching specific communities and groups that have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, was held at Polar Park on May 25. According to the organization, 214 vaccines were successfully administered at the clinic.
The WooSox also made vaccines available for fans attending games during the club’s second homestand from June 1-6, partnering with Worcester’s Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center. Fans could get the one-shot Johnson & Johnson jab on the concourse before heading to their seats. The homestand was the first at full capacity at Polar Park, drawing between 6,000-7,000 fans for almost all of the six games.
For the organization, the focus for the players and personnel on the field when it comes to getting vaccinated is education, communication, and patience. With players hailing from five different countries on the Triple-A roster, it can be an added hurdle to make sure individuals from all backgrounds and cultures receive the same education and information, but Abraham said that’s a challenge the Red Sox are used to, with such a diverse group of players and personnel in the organization.
“It’s something we’re very used to as a baseball group. We deal with people from different backgrounds, different places, different cultures all the time, so I think it’s just something we’re very used to,” Abraham said. “We provide the same support to someone from the Dominican Republic as we do the United States and we have the tools and resources to provide them with the information needed just like we would for an American player.
“We deal with that in a lot of circumstances and a lot of different areas on and off the field, so it’s just another piece of the puzzle we deal with, and we’re confident and comfortable with our ability to get through to all of our players no matter where they’re from or their background.”
While the Red Sox wait and hope that the numbers will trend north, players will still be masked up in the dugout and bullpen, and are subject to MLB’s stricter COVID protocols.
Michael Chavis called up to Boston
After a torrid series at the plate against Syracuse, infielder Michael Chavis got the call back to Boston on Monday. Chavis was sent down to Worcester on May 24 and struggled in his first week back at Triple-A, going 4-for-24 with 12 strikeouts in his first six games back with the WooSox.
However, over his next 11 games he hit .333/.392/.556 with three home runs and only nine strikeouts to go with four walks. Against Syracuse last week, Chavis went 9-for-19 with 10 RBI. This will be Chavis’ third stint with the major-league team this season.
Brian Brennan, Ryan Weber designated for assignment
With the Red Sox’ starting pitching faltering as of late, a couple of WooSox arms provided some relief in the form of eating up some innings for the major-league club over the weekend.
Brandon Brennan tossed three scoreless innings of relief in Saturday’s 7-2 Red Sox loss to Toronto. He was called up on June 10 as reliever Phillips Valdez was sent to Worcester. Brennan was designated for assignment on Sunday as the Red Sox made room to call up WooSox starter Ryan Weber.
Weber didn’t have the same luck as Brennan, but he did provide a service to the Red Sox before he too was DFA’ed on Monday. Weber gave up 11 runs on 13 hits to the Blue Jays Sunday in 5 2/3 innings after Red Sox starter Martin Perez went just an inning and a third. Weber was designated for assignment as the corresponding move for Chavis on Monday.
Zac Grotz makes season debut
The Worcester bullpen got a boost last week with the return of reliever Zac Grotz, who has been sidelined with an elbow injury. The right-hander made his season debut Friday as the opener, allowing two runs on four hits.
Grotz saw some success with the Mariners in 2019, posting a 4.15 ERA with 18 strikeouts and eight walks in 17 1/3 innings. He struggled to find consistency in 2020, bouncing between the Mariners and their alternate site. He allowed 12 runs in 7 1/3 innings in the majors in 2020.
WooSox sweep Syracuse, riding a six-game winning streak
The WooSox took care of business in Syracuse last week, sweeping the six-game series and improving to 23-13, good for second place in the Triple-A East league.
Worcester bats arrived 9 1/2 runs a game over the six-game road trip, cranking 16 home runs off Syracuse pitching. The WooSox are now second among the 20 Triple-A East teams with 57 home runs.
The WooSox welcome in the Lehigh Valley IronPigs for a six-game set starting Tuesday. Worcester took four of six from Lehigh Valley two weeks ago on the road.
The IronPigs are managed by Gary Jones, who managed the Pawtucket Red Sox from 1999-2001.
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June 15, 2021 at 05:02PM
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Worcester Red Sox Notebook: Vaccinations slow as Red Sox try to reach 85% threshold | Katie Morrison - MassLive.com
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