Report: MLB mandating vaccines for non-playing personnel on playoff teams

Major League Baseball is mandating COVID-19 vaccines for all non-playing personnel in order to gain access to restricted areas during the playoffs, including the field of play, sources told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Managers, coaches, and team trainers are among those who will be affected.

Team staffers who are currently unvaccinated can keep their access by receiving one dose before Oct. 4 - the day after the regular season - and scheduling their second dose, Rosenthal reports.

MLB has not yet mandated vaccines for players but did relax social distancing restrictions for teams that have at least 85% of their rosters vaccinated. Some teams remain below that threshold, including the Boston Red Sox, who have been dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak since late August.

Last month, the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros reportedly became the first teams to mandate vaccines for all non-playing employees. Shortly afterward, a Nationals executive resigned from his position in opposition to the mandate.