Didi Gregorius is having the worst season of his career and he’s putting the blame squarely on the shoulders of the COVID-19 vaccine. The Philadelphia Phillies short stop says an elbow condition developed after he was vaccinated for COVID-19.
He claims the shots caused him to develop pseudogout — a form of arthritis characterized by sudden, painful swelling — in his right elbow which debilitated his performance.
“Some people say it’s from the vaccine. I will say it’s likely from that, too,” Gregorius told The Inquirer before Wednesday’s game. “But when you say that, everyone looks at you like you’re stupid because the vaccine is not supposed to be like that or give you that reaction.”
The Inquirer spoke to a vaccine expert at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia about that claim and disputed it.
“It has nothing to do with the vaccine,” he said. It is possible, however, that a vaccine could cause a flare of pseudogout if Gregorius already had it and didn’t know about it. However, the flare would only last a few days. A flare lasting months “doesn’t make any sense.”
Gregorius signed a $28 million contract in the offseason, but he went from being a top hitter last season to one of Major League Baseball’s least productive offensive players in 2021.
The 31-year-old said he started feeling elbow discomfort and swelling in April, which he said began shortly after receiving the second dose of the vaccine. Gregorius said the discomfort has not gone away.
He added that his doctor told him the vaccine may have caused it.
“He didn’t give me like 100%,” Gregorius said. “Of course, this is the joint that I use the most and I get it on my elbow.”
Asked if he regretted getting the vaccine, Gregorius said: “Kind of, yes.”
“I had all types of reactions when I took the first and second shot. I know nobody knows because nobody talks about it,” Gregorius said. “… I had a really bad reaction. And then with the elbow, after the shot, I was nine days removed. But nobody knows because nobody talks about it. They just say ‘Didi is having a bad year,’ but they don’t explain why I’m having a bad year and what I’m dealing with.”
“I couldn’t bend my elbow for at least two months,” Gregorius said. “They didn’t want to do anything about it in the beginning. They told me it was just inflammation but it wasn’t just inflammation. I was mad that I missed like 50 games. It’s not a fair thing. I’m here to play. I’m not here to sit around and not do anything. It’s been frustrating basically the whole year with what’s going on. I didn’t get an answer until June. I got the answer.”
