Injured Former Chicago Baseball Prospect Sues Team and League Over COVID-19 Shot

Isaiah Carranza, a former Chicago White Sox minor and major league pitching prospect has filed a lawsuit asserting that the White Sox and Major League Baseball (MLB) coerced him into receiving a COVID-19 shot in 2021, an injection which caused adverse reactions severe enough to end his baseball career. The federal lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, seeks up to $19 million in compensatory and punitive damages.^{1 2}

Carranza was drafted by the White Sox in the 12th round of the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft and worked as a right-handed pitcher in the team’s minor league system. According to court filings and media reports, Carranza has not appeared in a professional game since the 2022 season.³

In 2021 the White Sox and the MLB required minor league players to receive the COVID-19 shot as a condition of continued employment and advancement. Carranza sets forth in the Complaint that he was told that refusing the shot would cause him to be “blacklisted” from the team, unable to move up to the major league, and that he would not be released to pursue opportunities with other teams. Unless he complied with the COVID shot mandate, he would have no prospects of moving up to the major league and pursuing a professional baseball career.

Despite serious reservations, the young pitcher argues in this lawsuit that he had no alternative if he wanted to be a professional baseball player and advance his career.⁴

Allegations of Minor League Discrimination

The Complaint alleges that the MLB’s COVID shot policy was applied unevenly, with major league players effectively exempt due to union protections, while minor league players were subject to strict enforcement.⁵

The Complaint states:

By imposing a mandate on those least equipped to advocate for themselves, MLB effectively exploited a vulnerable population, while sparing major league players the same scrutiny due to their unionized status.⁶

Young Pitcher Plagued with POTS After mRNA COVID Shot

Soon after he received Pfizer’s mRNA COVID Comirnaty shot, Carranza began experiencing serious health problems including extreme dizziness, nausea, near-fainting episodes, and a wildly fluctuating heart rate. Team staff initially dismissed these symptoms to dehydration, anxiety, or rookie nerves.^{7 8}

After a number of Emergency room and doctor visits, defendants continued to dismiss Carranza’s symptoms as related to the shot. Defendants required that Carranza get the second dose of the mRNA biologic. The pitcher’s symptoms worsened and he developed numbness in his right elbow and forearm extending to his fingers. The head trainer insisting it was anxiety and related to childhood trauma.

Carranza was given Xanax to try to alleviate the symptoms. Carranza was also told by the team’s psychologist that he was a hypochondriac. Eventually, the head trainer informed the pitcher that he was suffering from postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) but denied any connection to the COVID shot.⁹

On May 13, 2024, Carranza received documented medical conformation that his adverse reaction and ongoing medical problems were, indeed, due to Comirnaty.

POTS has been increasingly reported to be an adverse reaction to vaccination. A 2022 peer-reviewed study linked the COVID shot to an increase in POTS diagnosis with the highest risk being in young healthy individuals.¹⁰

Coercion and Retaliation But No Informed Consent

The Complaint alleges that the White Sox and the MLB exercised control over Carranza’s employment, medical compliance, and career prospects, and used that control to compel him to receive the shot under threat of losing his career.¹¹

The Complaint further asserts that defendants mandated the shot depriving Carranza of any meaningful choice or informed consent. Defendants failed to provide adequate warnings about known or reasonably foreseeable risks associated with the shot, failed to disclose material information necessary for informed consent, and failed to ensure that Carranza’s agreement to receive the shot was voluntary rather than coerced by economic and career pressure.¹²

The pleading asserts that defendants were negligent and failed to exercise reasonable care in advising and rehabilitating Carranza. Despite repeatedly seeking help evaluation, and accommodation, Carranza’s pleas was either ignored or rejected. Meanwhile, the connection between the mandated shot and Carranza’s health problems was denied, as were any accommodations for his new found health condition.¹³

The lawsuit alleges that defendants made false or misleading statements regarding the relationship between the shot and Carranza’s condition, and that they discouraged or obstructed proper medical inquiry into the cause of his symptoms. Carranza points out that defendants retaliated against him for raising concerns about his injuries and for seeking accommodations, further harming his ability to continue his professional career.¹⁴

The Complaint sets forth that the defendant’s actions towards plaintiff evidenced a systemic pattern and practice of discrimination against a number of minor league players, who also experienced adverse reactions to the mandated COVID shot, in violation of federal law including the Americans With Disabilities Act.¹⁵

Plaintiff Seeks $19 Million Including Punitive Damages

Carranza seeks punitive damages due to defendant’s actions exhibiting a willful and wanton disregard for his rights and safety. Plaintiff alleges that defendant’s actions were intentional and displayed reckless disregard for his health and safety. Punitive damages are limited to cases where defendant’s actions demonstrate discrimination with malice or reckless indifference to federally protected rights.¹⁶

The young pitcher has not been able to resume physical training and has not returned to professional baseball since 2022. The Complaint sets forth that his stalled career and loss of future earning capacity are directly tied to the reaction and injuries following the COVID shot.¹⁷

The adverse effects of the COVID shot have affected Carranza’s day to day life and his functionality is severely restricted. Carranza is seeking $19 million in damages, including compensation for lost wages, future medical expenses, and other related harms.¹⁸

Neither the Chicago White Sox nor MLB has publicly commented on the lawsuit.

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