When the Blue Jays signed Anthony Santander in 2024, they expected the power hitter to bring some much-needed firepower to their lineup. But his time in Toronto has hardly gone to plan. Injuries have kept him off the field, while his production has fallen well short of what the franchise would have hoped for from a player on a five-year, $92.5 million deal. And as if his on-field struggles haven’t been disappointing enough, his social media activity has now created a reputational issue for the franchise as well.

The controversy surfaced shortly after the U.S. midterm elections, in which Abdul El-Sayed became the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate. Santander reposted a video featuring El-Sayed with the caption, “America voted for Sharia last night!” He also shared another video claiming, “Islam is not peaceful.” By Thursday morning, screenshots of his Instagram stories circulated, putting the Blue Jays in a position where they could no longer stay silent. The Toronto franchise responded with a statement distancing itself from the outfielder’s remarks, stating:

“Baseball is for everyone, and the Blue Jays have created an inclusive experience where all fans feel welcome at our ballpark,” the team said, as reported by AP. “Individual comments do not represent our organization’s values and beliefs.”

MLB’s social media policy also sets out what could happen next. The rules prohibit major-league players from sharing content that is “derogatory or insensitive” toward people because of their race, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin or religion. This includes slurs, jokes and stereotypes, as well as online harassment and threats or support for violence against individuals or groups.

The policy also gives both a player’s team and the MLB Commissioner the authority to discipline a player for a violation, provided there is just cause. So, while the Blue Jays can decide how they want to handle the situation, the league can also step in. There is no fixed punishment for every violation, meaning any action would depend on the circumstances of the case.

Their response till now, however, has done little to address the concerns raised by members of the Muslim community.

The response, however, has done little to address the concerns raised by members of the Muslim community. Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s former special representative on combating Islamophobia, said deleting the posts was not enough and called on Santander to issue a public apology. She also urged the Blue Jays to take a stronger position against Islamophobia and explain what steps they intend to take. “For fans and the wider public who are Muslim, an apology is absolutely necessary to recognize how hurtful and harmful such dangerous posts are to their sense of dignity,” she said.

Elghawaby also questioned the organisation’s decision to distance itself from the posts without directly condemning their content. “They have not condemned the Islamophobic nature of the posts,” she said. “Nor have they made it clear that they uphold zero tolerance for hate against anyone, including Muslims. This points to a systemic problem that will require real commitments from this organization or risk letting down many of their fans.”

The Athletic reported that it had attempted to reach the outfielder for comment and would update its coverage if he responded. As of November 6, Santander had not publicly addressed the backlash or issued an apology.

The controversy also comes at a difficult point in Santander’s relationship with Toronto. After spending eight seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, he joined the Blue Jays ahead of the 2025 season following a career-best campaign in which he hit 44 home runs and earned his first All-Star selection. Toronto handed him a five-year, $92.5 million contract, expecting him to bring that power to its lineup. However, multiple shoulder injuries have severely limited his availability. He has appeared in just 54 regular-season games across his first two years with the franchise, batting .175 with six home runs and 18 RBIs. He missed the entire 2026 regular season after undergoing shoulder surgery.

Despite the limited return so far, Santander remains under contract with Toronto, with three guaranteed years left on his deal. And the Blue Jays have not completely ruled him out of their plans for next season. Following the 2026 campaign, general manager Ross Atkins said the organization wanted Santander to remain “an option” in the outfield in 2027. That makes the latest controversy another issue for the franchise to navigate as it considers the outfielder’s future.

This is not the first time the Blue Jays have had to address a player’s offensive conduct. In May 2017, then-outfielder Kevin Pillar was suspended for two games after directing a homophobic slur at Atlanta Braves pitcher Jason Motte during a game. The decision was made jointly by Toronto and Major League Baseball following discussions with Pillar, the league and the MLB Players Association. Pillar apologised publicly, reached out to Motte and extended his apology to the Braves organisation, baseball fans and the LGBTQ community. The Blue Jays also announced that his salary for the two suspended games, along with an undisclosed fine, would be donated to organisations supporting the LGBTQ community.

Anthony Bass is another relevant example from the Blue Jays’ recent history. In 2023, the then-reliever shared an Instagram video calling for a boycott of Target and Bud Light over their support for the LGBTQ2S+ community. The video described that support as “evil” and “demonic.” Bass initially deleted the post but later shared it again. He eventually apologised publicly and to his teammates, met with general manager Ross Atkins and manager John Schneider, and was asked to undergo sensitivity training with local Pride organisations.

Bass later acknowledged why people had found the video hateful, though he maintained his personal beliefs. On June 9, just 11 days after the original post, the Blue Jays designated him for assignment. The timing, coming shortly before the team’s Pride Weekend, drew further attention to the decision. However, Atkins made it clear that Bass’s departure was largely a baseball decision, with the controversy playing a smaller role. “Performance was a large aspect of this decision. Distraction was a small part of it and something that we had to factor in,” he said.

While the incident offers a useful comparison to Santander’s situation, it would be misleading to suggest that Bass was DFA’d solely because of his social media post. The question is not whether the club agrees with the message that baseball should be inclusive, but whether it will take any further action to show how that commitment applies when one of its own players shares content targeting a religious community.