Blue Jays fans still waiting on Anthony Santander apology despite conversation with Ross Atkins

A week after Anthony Santander's Islamophobic Instagram posts, Toronto Blue Jays fans are still waiting for the outfielder to issue an apology. GM Ross Atkins finally broke the organization's silence on Tuesday in Las Vegas, calling the posts "extremely concerning, extremely disappointing" and saying he told Santander that he needed to address them publicly.

But the conversation hasn't changed what fans are hearing from Santander, which is nothing. And for some fans, a conversation behind closed doors is not enough. They want the Blue Jays to cut ties.

"There really aren't words to express my level of disappointment with him making those comments," Atkins told reporters. "I've expressed that to him. I think anything exacerbating some level of anti-Islamic hate is just extremely concerning, extremely disappointing. I also talked to Anthony about his lack of awareness."

Santander shared the posts, including a video saying "there is no such thing as kind Muslims," in the days after the U.S. midterm elections, then deleted them two days later. The club's first response was a short statement from an unnamed spokesperson: "Baseball is for everyone... Individual comments do not represent our organization's values and beliefs." It did not mention Santander by name, and for some fans it fell flat.

Mike Wilner of the Toronto Star called it "an embarrassing public statement." Atkins' remarks were the first time anyone in the organization has spoken to this situation directly, and the first time anyone has publicly said Santander should apologize.

As of Wednesday morning, that apology has not come. Santander has not posted anything on social media or made any public statement since deleting the stories. When Atkins was asked how Santander responded to being told he should speak out, he repeated only, "I told him I thought he needed to and that he should."

Anthony Santander's comments not the first hate-speech related incident Blue Jays' front office has dealt with

The obvious comparison is Anthony Bass. In 2023, the Blue Jays released the reliever after he shared an anti-LGBTQ post, even though he apologized publicly. It's possible some fans are expecting the same repercussions for Santander.

Cutting ties would not be as simple as it was with Bass though. Bass was a reliever who was on the edges of the roster bubble. Santander is due $44 million over the next three years, $30 million of it deferred, with a 2030 club option worth $15 million and a $5-million buyout, and he has an opt-out after the 2027 season.

However, the 32-year-has played only 54 games as a Blue Jay (.175/.271/.294, 6 HR, 18 RBI) since signing the deal and he missed all of 2026 after left-shoulder labrum surgery. Whether the Blue Jays dump Santander or not remains to be seen.

For now, fans are left waiting to see whether Santander finally speaks, and whether the Blue Jays do anything more than talk.

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