The Toronto Blue Jays have designated relief pitcher Anthony Bass for assignment, less than 24 hours after he told reporters he didn’t feel an anti-LGBTQ+ social media post he shared last week was hateful.
Bass told reporters Thursday he deleted the Instagram post calling for boycotts of Target and Bud Light because “it was the right thing to do” and he didn’t want to be a distraction to the team. He also met with the executive director of Pride Toronto to discuss LGBTQ+ issues and was scheduled to catch the ceremonial first pitch before Friday’s first game of the Blue Jays’ Pride Weekend activities.
However, he never said he disagreed with the content of the post itself.
“I stand by my personal beliefs,” Bass said Thursday, “and everyone is entitled to their personal beliefs, right? Also, I mean no harm towards any groups of people.”
APOLOGY: Blue Jays pitcher who amplified anti-LGBTQ+ post to catch first pitch on Pride Weekend
With the Blue Jays needing to create a roster spot to activate pitcher Mitch White from the 60-day injured list, Bass — who has struggled to a 4.95 ERA and has been booed in two home appearances since issuing a public apology on May 30 – – was the odd man out in the team’s roster crunch.
Bass, 35, has played for seven different teams in his MLB career, posting a 16-28 record and 3.91 ERA in 12 seasons.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Blue Jays release reliever Anthony Bass in wake of anti-LGBTQ+ post