The Toronto Blue Jays have responded to Islamophobic posts made online by outfielder Anthony Santander. In them, he used bigoted language to criticize U.S. Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed.
In the wake of that, the Blue Jays released the following statement:
“We met with leaders of Toronto’s Muslim communities today, who shared the harm caused by Anthony Santander’s Islamophobic social media posts,” the statement read. “The opportunity to listen and learn was important and reaffirms our beliefs and values as an organization. We condemn Islamophobia and all forms of hate.
“The Blue Jays are deeply sorry to the Muslim community and our fans for the pain and harm these Islamophobic posts have caused. We will work with leaders in Muslim communities to fight against all forms of hate. The Blue Jays will continue to ensure our organization reflects the inclusive community we are proud to call home.”
Prior to that, Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins expressed his own concerns about the posts.
“There really aren’t words to express my level of disappointment with him making those comments. I’ve expressed that to him,” Atkins said. “… anything exacerbating some level of anti-Islamic hate is just extremely concerning, extremely disappointing.”
To this point, the Blue Jays have not publicly announced a punishment for Santander. It’s unclear if one will be coming, either in public or in private.
Toronto Blue Jays Star Anthony Santander Made Islamophobic Posts
In the wake of the midterm elections, Venezuelan-born outfielder Anthony Santander took to Instagram. There, he reposted Islamophobic videos.
Among the claims made in those videos were that Muslims elected would look to impose Sharia Law in the United States. The videos also claimed that Islam is “not peaceful” and that the religion is “driven by war.”
They were posted to his Instagram stories in the wake of the elections on Wednesday, November 4th. One of the videos included Abdul El-Sayed, who won a hotly contested race in Michigan. In the process, he also became the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate.
Santander deleted the videos. As of the time of writing, Santander has not publicly commented on his posts.
Santander’s Time With the Blue Jays
Ahead of the 2025 season, the Blue Jays signed Anthony Santander, one of their bigger recent free agent signings. It was a five-year, $92.5 million contract.
An All-Star in 2024, Santander has been a disaster on the field with the Blue Jays. He was only able to play in 54 games in 2025, due to a shoulder injury. He ended up needing left labral surgery in February of 2026 and wasn’t able to play at all during the 2026 season, save for a brief rehab outing in the minors.
During his time with the Blue Jays, Santander is hitting .175 with a .271 OBP, a .294 slugging percentage, and a .565 OPS. He has 6 home runs and 18 RBIs.
Presumably, Santander will be healthy by the time the 2027 season starts. The hope is that he can help turn the tide for Toronto after the Blue Jays had a massively disappointing season in 2026, failing to make the playoffs.
Blue Jays Release New Statement on Islamophobic Posts by Anthony Santander