Anthony Santander
Introduction
Anthony Santander, the Toronto Blue Jays’ 32-year-old Venezuelan outfielder, shared a pair of anti-Muslim videos to his Instagram story the day after the November 2026 U.S. midterms — one claiming that Muslims elected to Congress, including Michigan senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed, are radicals who want to impose Sharia law, the other asserting that “Islam is not peaceful” — and then deleted them after screenshots went viral. The Blue Jays publicly rebuked the posts, saying “individual comments do not represent our organization’s values and beliefs,” though no discipline has been announced.
Background Information
Santander spent the first eight years of his MLB career with Baltimore, slugging 44 home runs in 2024, before signing a five-year, $92.5 million contract with Toronto ahead of the 2025 season. The deal has been a bust on the field: he played just 54 games in his first Blue Jays season, hitting .175/.271/.294 with six home runs and 18 RBIs, then missed the entire 2026 season — a left shoulder subluxation ended his 2025 campaign during the playoffs and shoulder surgery followed in February 2026 — as Toronto went 79-83 and missed the postseason, with three years left on the deal.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Under fire, no discipline announced. Santander reshared two anti-Muslim videos to his Instagram story on Nov. 4, 2026, the day after senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed became the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate, then removed them after they were captured and spread by fans. His team disavowed the posts in a public statement; Santander has not commented, and the Blue Jays have announced no suspension, fine, or release.
The first reshare came from the account @theamericantruthproject and claimed that Muslims elected to office in Tuesday’s elections — naming El-Sayed, whose photo appeared in the post — “are radicals who want to impose Sharia law in the U.S. Congress,” under a caption reading “America voted for Sharia Last Night.” The second was a clip of a Christian minister, @ministernsj, who has described Islam as “violent” and “driven by war” and who said in the shared video that “there is no such thing as kind Muslims,” captioned “Islam is not peaceful.” El-Sayed, a Democrat, had defeated Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan’s Senate race the previous night and will be sworn in as the first Muslim U.S. Senator in January. Both posts vanished from Santander’s story before their 24-hour expiration — screenshots taken before deletion circulated widely, which is how the story became public.
Asked about the posts, a Blue Jays spokesperson issued a statement that stopped short of any roster action but pointedly disavowed the comments: “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.” The statement was provided to multiple outlets, including The Athletic and the Toronto Sun. The franchise has precedent for acting on player social media: reliever Anthony Bass was released in 2023, two weeks after sharing a post supporting anti-LGBTQ boycotts — though the team insisted at the time that the release was a “baseball decision.” It is unclear whether Santander or the team will address the posts further.
Public Reaction and Consequences
Toronto fans and commentators condemned the posts within hours and called on the team to act. “I’m all for free speech, but this is extremely disgusting and flat-out disrespectful stuff shared by Anthony Santander,” one fan wrote on X, adding, “Islamophobia is never acceptable, and I hope the @BlueJays take the appropriate action, considering they have some Muslim employees as well.” Another wrote, “There is no spot in the lineup for hate,” and a third wondered aloud whether a code-of-conduct clause in Santander’s contract could allow the Jays to cancel it. A widely-shared post noted that Santander “frequently posts questionable videos to his Instagram stories,” calling this one “by far the worst.” Santander has made no public response to the criticism.
Current Status
The posts are deleted; the screenshots are permanent. The Blue Jays’ statement stands as the organization’s only response — a public disavowal with no suspension, fine, or release attached — and Santander, who has not commented, remains on the roster with three years left on his deal. He has not played since the 2025 postseason, so any eventual action from the team would come while he is already sidelined. Outlets characterized the posts as Islamophobic and noted they targeted the faith of a senator-elect; no team discipline has been reported as of Nov. 6, 2026.
Impact on Their Career/Life
Santander’s standing in Toronto was already at a low ebb — 55 games across two seasons on a $92.5 million contract before this — and the episode converts a performance problem into a conduct problem for a franchise that has twice faced this decision in three years. The Bass precedent shows the Blue Jays will absorb the cost of cutting a player over his social media when the pressure peaks, and fans are now openly invoking contract language as the path. For El-Sayed, the episode became a fresh example of the racism his historic win drew; for Santander, the disavowal from his own employer — that his comments do not represent the organization — now sits on the record beside the worst stretch of his professional life.
Sources
- The New York Post, “Anthony Santander under fire for controversial Abdul El-Sayed posts,” November 5, 2026. source
- Toronto Sun, “Blue Jays issue statement on Anthony Santander’s viral posts,” November 5, 2026. source
- USA Today, “Blue Jays respond to Anthony Santander Islamophobic Instagram posts,” November 5, 2026. source
- Awful Announcing via Yahoo, “Blue Jays respond to Anthony Santander’s Islamophobic Instagram posts about Abdul El-Sayed,” November 6, 2026. source
- Toronto Star, “Blue Jays address Santander’s Islamophobic Instagram posts,” November 5, 2026. source