Cubs' Rizzo remains undecided on getting a COVID vaccine

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo has decided to take more time before deciding if he will receive a COVID vaccination shot.

He went public with the decision Friday morning on WMVP AM-1000, then spoke to reporters after helping lead the Cubs to an 8-5 victory over the Cardinals at Wrigley Field.

“In our clubhouse guys have had it and guys don't have it, and we respect everyone's decision,” Rizzo said. “I'm definitely not against getting it. It's just taking some more time to see the data on all of it.”

The Cubs are one of eight major-league teams that have not reached the 85% vaccination threshold for tier-one personnel.

Rizzo, who is in constant communication with team doctors, doesn't take the decision lightly as one of the Cubs' leaders.

“I love this franchise and I do everything I can to win here,” he said. “But with this stuff, this is bigger than baseball. This is a life decision. This isn't a career decision right now.

“It weighed hard. It's a decision that I made and I stand with. Obviously there's be people that are going to hate me and think I'm disgusting. And there's going to be people that side with me.”

Other than gathering more data, Rizzo wasn't specific as to why he's hesitating — although he did say that there are “some personal reasons as well.” As for the big picture, Rizzo's thrilled that the vaccines are doing their jobs to combat the coronavirus.

“There's a lot of lives that are being saved,” he said. “There's a lot of people that are getting back to their normal life and that's amazing. That's what we want.

“It's amazing to see everyone here in the stands, drinking beer, having fun, enjoying life again. Whatever it takes for people to get to that threshold, I'm all for it.”

Roster moves:

The Cubs placed catcher P.J. Higgins on the 10-day injured list with a right forearm strain and selected catcher Jose Lobaton from Triple-A Iowa. Right-handed pitcher Dakota Chalmers was designated for assignment. Lobaton, 36, hit .179 and has a .347 on-base percentage in 15 games.