Royals' Whit Merrifield Backtracks Initial COVID Comments, Unnecessarily Apologizes

Kansas City outfielder Whit Merrifield took a swing at COVID last week, didn't like how it played out, and has since coward back to the batters box with an altered stance.

Because he's not vaccinated, Merrifield was one 10 Royals unable to travel to Toronto for Kansas City's series with the Blue Jays. Canada, of course, still mandates asinine COVID rules for those entering the country.

COVID vaccines, which appear more and more to offer as much defense as a roster full of Big 12 conference defenders, are a must for anyone heading north of the border.



Merrifield initially recognized the ridiculousness of Canada's vaccine mandate and MLB's refusal to speak out against it, telling media members: “If it was doing what it was supposed to do and stopping the spread of COVID, I would have a little more willingness to take it, but it’s not doing that.”

Well, he's not wrong.

Canadian Karen's, as well as those still-masked idiots in the States, must've bombarded the 33-year-old Merrifield with hate and threats of cancelling him, because he quickly issued a not-necessary apology last weekend.

“I’m sorry that I poorly articulated the point I was trying to make,” Merrifield said Friday.

Whit Merrifield #15 of the Kansas City Royals during an at-bat against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning at Comerica Park on July 3, 2022, in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)

 

Merrifield, who's batting .245 this season with 5 homers, continued his apology by stating: "It’s an uncomfortable topic and I started rambling on and trying to make a point about my passion for winning that had no relevance to the topic that was being discussed. For that I am truly sorry. I didn’t say people misunderstood it, I poorly articulated the point I was trying to say."

In what felt like a forced statement from the president of the Fauci fan club, Merrifield added: “If what was standing between me and the playoffs was this vaccine, I would consider getting it."

He continued: "I didn’t say I would get it for another team or wouldn’t get it for this team, it was simply a point about showing how much I value playing in the playoffs.”

In his own checked swing moment, Merrifield stopped short of endorsing or rejecting the jab. "The vaccine thing … people have very strong feelings about it and I feel the way I feel about it," Merrifield said.

Though his apology should be taken about as seriously as a between-innings race amongst condiments, Major League Baseball and it's Canadian representatives' - the Blue Jays - vaccine stance remains a joke.

 

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