Blue Jays Slugger Anthony Santander Slammed Over ‘Disgusting’ Abdul El-Sayed Posts

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Santander is facing backlash after sharing “disgusting” anti-Muslim content on social media following the 2026 midterm election results in Michigan.

On Wednesday, the 32-year-old Venezuelan MLB player reposted two videos to his Instagram story criticizing Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, who defeated Republican Mike Rogers on Tuesday to become the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate. The re-shared posts included captions stating “America voted for Sharia Last Night” and claiming “Islam is not peaceful.”

In a statement provided to The Athletic, a spokesperson for the Blue Jays rebuked Santander’s posts and distanced the organization from his remarks.

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

Although Santander deleted the posts shortly after, screenshots quickly circulated across social media, which sparked backlash from Toronto fans and public figures.

Anthony Santander is a role model and public figure looked up to by young sports fans.

His reckless actions have impact, and we have seen anti Muslim hate turn deadly in Canada.

Deleting his posts is not enough – Santander owes fans an apology, and the Blue Jays need to take a stronger stand against Islamophobic hate, and be transparent about how they plan to make this right.

— Amira Elghawaby (@AmiraElghawaby) November 5, 2026

Amira Elghawaby, founder of the Muslim Communities Research Observatory and the former Special Representative of Combatting Islamophobia of Canada, shared a post on X saying that Santander deleting his posts is not enough and that he needs to apologize, while the Blue Jays need to take a stronger stand against Islamophobic discrimination.

Meanwhile, Omer Osman, cofounder of Raptors Updates on X, wrote in a post: “I’m all for free speech, but this is extremely disgusting and flat out disrespectful stuff shared by Anthony Santander. Islamophobia is never acceptable, and I hope the @BlueJays take the appropriate action, considering they have some Muslim employees as well.”

I’m all for free speech, but this is extremely disgusting and flat out disrespectful stuff shared by Anthony Santander.

Islamophobia is never acceptable, and I hope the @BlueJays take the appropriate action, considering they have some Muslim employees as well. https://t.co/F3VV9cgMLH

— Omer Osman (@OmerOsman200) November 5, 2026

The controversy creates additional strain on Santander’s troubled tenure in Toronto. The veteran signed a five-year $92.5 million contract ahead of the 2025 season, but injuries have hindered his availability. Santander appeared in just 54 games during his debut year, batting .175 with six home runs, and missed the entire 2026 campaign while rehabilitating from shoulder surgery.

However, this isn’t the first time the Toronto Blue Jays have navigated fallout over a player’s social media presence. Back in 2023, the team released reliever Anthony Bass two weeks after he shared a post supporting anti-LGBTQ boycotts, though the organization maintained at the time that his release was strictly a baseball decision.

With three years remaining on Santander’s contract, the Blue Jays appear to face another difficult situation surrounding off-field behavior and roster management.