New York Mets and Yankees players who are unvaccinated will not be allowed to play games in New York for the foreseeable future due to the current mandate enforced in the city. The law applies to all private-sector employees in New York City, including those who work outdoors.
The New York Yankees organization said: “On behalf of the Yankees, Randy Levine is working with City Hall and all other appropriate officials on this matter. We will have no further comment.” The Mets also declined to comment on the mandate. NY Yankees star outfielder Aaron Judge avoided the question when asked about his vaccination status, saying “I’m so focused on getting to the first game of spring training. So I think we’ll cross that bridge when the time comes. Right now, so many things could change. So I’m not really too worried about that right now.”
New York City lifted vaccine requirements to enter indoor facilities on March 7, but kept in place the mandate that disallows unvaccinated employees from working. Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has been subject to the same rule throughout the NBA’s 2021-22 regular season, which has barred him from playing games at Barclays Center or Madison Square Garden. He was allowed to watch the Nets play in person against the Knicks in Brooklyn on Sunday, but the NBA fined the Nets $50,000 for “violating local New York City law and league health and safety protocols” when the team let Irving enter their locker room.
In addition, all Major League Baseball players will be subject to a Canadian law that prohibits those from entering the country if they haven’t been vaccinated against COVID-19. This may potentially affecte AL East teams including Yankees, who are currently scheduled to play nine games in Toronto this season.
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