‘Deeply disappointing’: Ross Atkins weighs in on Santander’s anti-Muslim posts

Posted November 11, 2026 5:25 am.

Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins says it’s “concerning” and “deeply disappointing” that outfielder Anthony Santander posted anti-Muslim videos on his social media feed.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday at the Major League Baseball GM meetings, Atkins said “there really aren’t words to express my level of disappointment.”

“I’ve expressed that to him. I think anything [exacerbating] some level of hate, anti-Islamic, is just extremely concerning,” Atkins said.

“I also talked to Anthony about his lack of awareness, realizing that he has a very large microphone, what that meant,” Atkins added. “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 behaviour did not align with that.”

Will Anthony Santander address his anti-muslim comments?

Ross Atkins: “I told him that I thought he needed to and that he should.”

What did he reply?
⁰“I told him I thought he needed to, and then he should.”

So far Santander has not addressed the posts, just deleted them

— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) November 10, 2026

Santander posted the videos in the aftermath of the U.S. midterm elections last Tuesday. He deleted them two days later but so far has not apologized or otherwise commented.

Santander, a 32-year-old from Venezuela, didn’t play at the big-league level last season due to injuries. 

He signed a five-year, US$92.5-million deal with the Blue Jays in January 2025.


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