The Blue Jays announced they designated Anthony Bass for assignment on Friday to make room to reinstate pitcher Mitch White from the 60-day injured list.
Bass has been under the spotlight since he shared an anti-LGBTQ video on his Instagram story last month. The relief pitcher apologized for his actions the next day, saying he was trying to “educate himself” moving forward.
“I recognize yesterday that I made a post that was hurtful to the Pride community, which includes friends of mine and close family members of mine, and I am truly sorry for that,” Bass said. “I just spoke with my teammates and shared with them my actions yesterday, and apologized with them.”
However, when speaking to the media later, Bass stood by his personal beliefs.
“I just felt like it was too much of a distraction. But I stand by my personal beliefs,” he said. “And everyone is entitled to their personal beliefs, right? Also, I mean no harm towards any groups of people. I felt like taking that down a second time was the right thing to do and not be a distraction to this team. Our job is to win baseball games and that’s my focus.”
In his first appearance after the apology, Bass was booed by Blue Jays fans as he came in to pitch in the ninth inning. Toronto was also considering having Bass participate in the team’s Pride Month celebration this weekend, a decision that garnered a negative reaction from fans.
The Blue Jays acquired Bass in a trade with the Marlins last trade deadline. In 22 games this year, he has a 4.95 ERA.
