by WorldTribune Staff, November 18, 2026 Non-AI Real World News

A former pitcher for teams in the Chicago White Sox minor league system said his dreams of playing in the major leagues were dashed due to an injury from the Covid shot which he was forced to get in order to advance.

Isaiah Carranza, who says he was coerced into receiving the Covid injection by the Chicago White Sox in 2021, is suing his former team, alleging the shot caused him to develop postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), which ended his baseball career, The Defender reported on March 9.

Carranza charges that team officials threatened to blacklist him by keeping him locked into his contract and relegating him to the minor leagues with no opportunity for career advancement if he didn’t get the shot.

Those threats compelled him to get the first dose of Pfizer’s Covid jab in 2021. He said the shot caused “extreme dizziness, nausea, near-fainting, and wildly fluctuating heart rate.”

Carranza was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a chronic nervous system disorder characterized by a rapidly increasing heart rate upon standing. POTS is a commonly reported adverse event linked to the Covid shots.

The lawsuit, filed in September 2025 and amended in December 2025, names the White Sox and Major League Baseball (MLB) as defendants.

Attorney John M. Liston, co-counsel for Carranza, told The Defender that the vaccine mandate Carranza was subject to was an “employer-imposed mandate” that “applied to minor league players — not those in the major league.”

This distinction created “two different tiers of employees without any valid justification,” Liston said. Major league players are unionized, but minor league players are not. As a result, minor league players enjoy fewer workplace protections.

The White Sox claim that Carranza’s condition is the result of “psychological stress.”

Carranza’s lawsuit alleges that the defendants violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Carranza claims team officials downplayed his injuries and failed to provide sufficient medical care or accommodations required under the ADA. His injuries forced him to end his baseball career prematurely.

According to the lawsuit, cardiologist Dr. Peter McCullough, who examined Carranza, “definitely diagnosed Plaintiff with vaccine-induced POTS, supported by abnormal diagnostic results and persistently elevated spike protein levels.”

“The timeline of symptom onset — beginning within days of vaccination — is strongly indicative of causation,” the lawsuit states.

According to Liston, Carranza “continues to struggle to perform regular daily activities.”

“MLB and the White Sox had several opportunities to prevent or address this issue and repeatedly failed to believe Mr. Carranza or address his concerns,” Liston said.

The Highwire reported that Carranza’s future medical expenses will surpass $557,000 and that his lost wages range between $3.4 million and $19.9 million. The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, legal costs and an injunction forcing the defendants to cease their discriminatory practices under the ADA.

Under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act), anyone injured by a Covid shot can’t sue the vaccine manufacturer or the person who administered the vaccine.

However, people injured by vaccines can file a claim with the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP), which was established under the PREP Act.

The Highwire suggested Carranza’s lawsuit could bypass the PREP Act’s liability shield.

“The lawsuit against the Chicago White Sox is an opportunity for a citizen who alleges he was harmed by a pharmaceutical product to obtain compensation outside the PREP Act,” The Highwire reported.

A White Sox team official told The Defender the team cannot comment on active litigation. The MLB did not respond to a request for comment.

2026 Contract With Our Readers

  Former pitcher says injury from forced Covid jab tanked his chance at MLB, WorldTribune.com