The Toronto Blue Jays distanced the team on Thursday after outfielder Anthony Santander shared a series of anti-Muslim videos on his social media account.
The Islamophobic posts on his Instagram story included a video claiming that America voted for Sharia last night. That video featured an image of Michigan senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed.
The Michigan-born El-Sayed is the son of Egyptian immigrants. He was elected on Tuesday and will become the first Muslim American US senator. A second video shared by Santander claimed that Islam is not peaceful, according to reports.
All of the posts were taken down by Thursday morning. The Blue Jays released a statement addressing the incident.
Baseball is for everyone, and the Blue Jays have created an inclusive experience where all fans feel welcome at our ballpark, the organisation stated. Individual comments do not represent our organisation’s values and beliefs.
Santander is a 32-year-old native of Venezuela. He signed a five-year contract worth $92.5 million with Toronto before the 2025 season.
The outfielder has dealt with multiple shoulder injuries. He missed the entire 2026 season due to these physical setbacks.
During his first season with the Blue Jays in 2025, he batted .175 with six home runs and 18 RBIs across 54 games.
Before joining Toronto, Santander spent his first eight seasons from 2017 to 2024 with the Baltimore Orioles. With Baltimore, he batted .246 with 155 homers and 435 RBIs in 746 regular-season games, earning an All-Star selection in 2024.
