NEWSLETTER
We’ve seen various private company issue COVID-19 vaccine mandates over the past few months (including from baseball teams like the Cubs), and Major League Baseball is expanding its own mandate to cover more personnel in relation to the upcoming postseason.
Per Ken Rosenthal:
MLB will require non-playing personnel (managers, coaches, athletic trainers, etc.) to be vaccinated for COVID-19 in order to gain access to field and other restricted areas in postseason, sources tell @TheAthletic. 1/2
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) September 17, 2021
Sources add: Any staff member who is currently unvaccinated but wants to retain access to restricted areas during postseason may do so if staff member receives one dose of one of the Moderna vaccines prior to October 4 and has a second dose scheduled.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) September 17, 2021
As we’ve seen in other industries, this mandate could lead to some decisions for those who have otherwise ardently decided not to get vaccinated:
One MLB manager on a contending team remains unvaccinated, and to participate in the postseason and be near players, MLB says managers, coaches, staff must get an mRNA shot by Oct. 4 and have 2nd scheduled. That manager has to make a decision. @Ken_Rosenthal 1st on new MLB decree
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) September 18, 2021
The vaccines, which are safe and effective, are the one of the best tools against serious illness and continued spread of the virus, which means employers do have a pretty direct interest in keeping their employees safe (for themselves, and from each others’ spread). For Major League Baseball, the same applies across all of the personnel on its various teams.
Note that the mandate does not impact players, for whom there is a union relationship, and the rules are governed by the health and safety protocols between the league and the MLBPA.
