The Washington Nationals are parting ways with longtime vice president and front-office member Bob Boone, who chose to resign rather than comply with the team’s COVID-19 vaccination requirements, sources told The Washington Post and ESPN. The team is the first in the MLB to make staffing changes due to an employee’s unvaccinated status.

In addition to Boone, eight scouts are leaving the team, as the Nationals organization is not renewing their contracts — and at least two of the scouts are leaving for matters related to the vaccination requirement. The Athletic first reported the news on the scouts, of which, half work for the international side and half work for the amateur side, the report says.

The team required all non-playing employees — including all salaried and hourly employees on the coaching staff, front office, and staff working in ticketing, concessions, and stadium operations — to provide proof of full vaccination or a first shot, or otherwise apply for an exemption by Aug. 26. They were notified of the policy on Aug. 12, giving them two weeks to comply, according to a Nationals spokesperson.

The spokesperson told DCist/WAMU Thursday that the team is “not going to comment on the specifics surrounding personnel issues,” and instead pointed to a team statement from last week when the policy was made public: “As a company, we have a responsibility to do everything we can to keep one another safe and felt that mandating vaccines was the absolute right thing to do for our employees and our community.”

Any employees who remain unvaccinated will be placed on administrative leave until Sept. 15 — after that, their contracts can be terminated, sources told The Post. More employees are expected to resign or have their contracts ended because of their refusal to get vaccinated. Six of the scouts’ departures were mostly based on performance, according to multiple reports.

Boone, 73, joined the Nationals in 2005 and has been a valued member of the organization, serving in multiple roles during his tenure, including advisor to the general manager, Mike Rizzo. Boone had a playing career that spanned nearly two decades, catching for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, and the Kansas City Royals.

Around the league, only the Houston Astros have initiated a vaccination policy for their employees, but calls for more teams to join with policies of their own have resounded throughout the baseball world.