Blue Jays Tout ‘Inclusive Experience’ After Outfielder’s Anti-Muslim Social Media Posts

The Toronto Blue Jays have issued a statement in response to right fielder Anthony Santander’s anti-Muslim social media posts. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Blue Jays have distanced themselves from social media posts shared by outfielder Anthony Santander after he trumpeted anti-Muslim stereotypes following Tuesday’s elections in the United States.

After Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s Senate race, Santander posted two stories on Instagram that have since been taken down. The first suggested that the election of El-Sayed, who is the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate, would lead to Sharia law in America. A second featured a Christian pastor claiming there were no kind Muslims and that Islam was not peaceful.

The posts drew criticism for promoting Islamophobic stereotypes.

On Thursday, the Blue Jays issued a statement pushing back against Santander’s posts.

“Baseball is for everyone, and the Blue Jays have created an inclusive experience where all fans feel welcome at our ballpark,” the statement read, per The Athletic. “Individual comments do not represent our organization’s values and beliefs.”

The statement did not mention Santander by name or directly condemn his posts. There is no indication if the organization plans to take any disciplinary action.

Toronto is Canada’s only MLB team, and the country is home to more than 1.75 million Muslims. It is the nation’s second-largest religion, behind Christianity.

Santander has not issued a follow-up statement or apology.

Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s former special representative for combating Islamophobia, took to social media to repudiate Santander’s posts and demanded an apology:

Anthony Santander is a role model and public figure looked up to by young sports fans.

His reckless actions have impact, and we have seen anti Muslim hate turn deadly in Canada.

Deleting his posts is not enough - Santander owes fans an apology, and the Blue Jays need to take a stronger stand against Islamophobic hate, and be transparent about how they plan to make this right.

This isn’t the first time the Blue Jays have dealt with this kind of social media controversy from a player. In 2023, reliever Anthony Bass shared posts promoting anti-LGBTQ boycotts. He later apologized, but two weeks later, Toronto released him, calling it a “baseball decision.” Bass allowed two runs in one inning in his final game with the Blue Jays, but his previous six appearances had been scoreless outings.

Santander signed with the Blue Jays in January 2025 following an All-Star season with the Orioles. The Blue Jays inked him to a five-year, $92.5 million contract. Injuries have limited him to just 54 games with the franchise and he missed the entire 2026 season following surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder.

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