Global Courant
TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays waived pitcher Anthony Bass on Friday, a day after the right-handed reliever said he didn’t hate an anti-LGBTQ+ social media post he shared last month.
The team now has seven days to trade Bass or put him on a waiver.
The move came hours before Bass was set to catch a ceremonial first pitch from Toronto LGBTQ+ activist leZlie Lee Kam before Friday’s game against Minnesota as the Blue Jays kick off their fourth annual Pride Weekend celebration.
The Blue Jays said pitcher Kevin Gausman would catch the first pitch instead of Bass.
Bass apologized before a May 30 game against Milwaukee, a day after sharing a post on his Instagram calling for target and Bud Light boycotts for the support they showed for the LGBTQ+ community. Both companies are dealing with the fallout from those campaigns, including hostile and homophobic criticism and calls from LGBTQ+ activists not to give in to pressure.
Bass, who has been booed by Toronto fans in his two home appearances since the apology, spoke to a group of media ahead of Thursday’s victory over Houston and said he was sticking to his “personal beliefs.”
He also said he is “working hard” to educate himself, including meeting the executive director of activist group Pride Toronto.
Prior to Friday’s game, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said the decision to cut Bass was dictated primarily by the pitcher’s performance and not the off-field conditions.
“There are countless variables,” Atkins said. “Performance is usually the driving force and performance was a big part of this decision. Distraction was a small part of it and something we had to consider.”
Atkins declined to say whether Bass would still be on the team if his performance had been better.
“We’re trying to put together the best team we can build,” said Atkins. “This was a baseball decision to make our team better.”
Atkins also said that ending up in Toronto’s minor league system was not a “realistic option” for Bass.
“We’re not going to stand in the way of him going to work at another organization,” Atkins said.
Bass, 35, is a 12-year veteran who has also played in Japan. He was 0-0 with a 4.95 ERA in 22 games.
To replace Bass, Toronto activated right-hander Mitch White (right elbow) off the 60-day injured list.
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