Toronto Blue Jays Make Baseball History with Promotion of Nonbinary Catcher

The Toronto Blue Jays have made history by calling up minor-league catcher Brady Deeker, who recently became the first professional baseball player to identify as nonbinary. Deeker’s promotion comes after seven games at Triple-A and two frustrating seasons at Double-A, where the catcher struggled to hit, batting a collective .207. Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said, “The Blue Jays organization is delighted to make baseball history and be at the forefront of LGBTQ2S+ progress. Now every day can be Pride Day at the ballpark.” The move was met with near-universal acclaim. The Human Rights Campaign issued a statement saying that Deeker is “the Jackie Robinson of the LGBTQ+ community.” Atkins pledged to put Deeker in the starting lineup immediately, batting fourth. However, this will displace current starting catcher Alejandro Kirk, who hit .285 with 14 homers last year. Blue Jays manager John Schneider said, “Alejandro is a key guy for us, but, of course, he is totally committed to supporting the LGBT+ community by DHing now and occasionally backing up Deeker — assuming Brady is okay with that.” Some have expressed skepticism about Deeker’s abilities, but Atkins said, “This organization doesn’t have time for hate.” Deeker was drafted out of the University of Miami as a highly touted prospect who has struggled to live up to the initial billing. Everything changed this season with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Toronto’s AA affiliate, when Deeker came out as nonbinary in a viral Instagram post. Deeker’s locker in the Blue Jays locker room will be designated as gender-neutral, and one urinal and stall in the men’s room will be marked off as “all-gender.” The current Blue Jays backup catcher, Tyler Heineman, will be designated for assignment.