Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins had strong words Tuesday in reaction to Anthony Santander's anti-Muslim social media posts that he has since deleted.
"There really aren't words to express my level of disappointment," Atkins said from the GM meetings on Tuesday, via Sportsnet. "Anything exacerbating some level of hate, anti-Islamic, is just extremely concerning and extremely disappointing.
"I also talked to Anthony about his lack of awareness, realizing that he has a very large microphone, what that meant. We're working exceptionally hard internally to ensure, and we have been, that it's a safe environment, that baseball is for everyone. It's very important to us. It's a part of our organizational values and his behavior did not align with that."
Santander, a native Venezuelan, shared social media videos in the wake of the U.S. midterm elections last week, including one where a Christian pastor said, "there is no such thing as kind Muslims." Another implied that Sharia law would be imposed in the U.S. following the election of Abdul El-Sayed to the Senate. Santander has since taken down the videos from his social media pages.
In the aftermath, the team released the following statement:
"Baseball is for everyone, and the Blue Jays have created an inclusive experience where all fans feel welcome at our ballpark. Individual comments do not represent our organization's values and beliefs."
It's unclear whether Santander plans to address the matter publicly, but Atkins said he "told him that I thought he needed to and that he should."
As far as personal conversations with Santander, Atkins said, "I expressed my level of concern. I believe he felt it. I know he feels badly. But I don't want to speak for him."
Santander was signed as an amateur free agent out of Venezuela in 2011 when he was 16. He signed a free agent deal with the Blue Jays prior to the 2025 season; injuries have held him to just 54 games in the past two seasons.
