(Reuters) – Anderson Comas, a minor leaguer in the Chicago White Sox, revealed on Sunday that he is gay, adding that he wants to be an inspiration for “those like me out there”.
Comas, 23, signed with Chicago in 2016 out of the Dominican Republic. He started as an outfielder, before converting to pitcher last season.
“This may be my most personal thing I ever share and it’s that I’m proudly and happily part of the LGTBQ+ community,” Comas wrote in a post on Instagram.
“I love my family and friends and that’s what really matters. I enjoy my work a lot, being a professional baseball player is the best thing that happened to me…
“I’m doing this cause I wanna be an inspiration for those like me out there fitting (sic) for their dreams … fight for your dreams, believe in yourself and go for it.”
In a statement, White Sox assistant general manager Chris Getz said Comas “shared his news with us last year.”
“I was very pleased that he was comfortable sharing with us in player development,” Getz added.
“I also was happy at the reaction across the organization, which as you would expect was to support, help and congratulate a team mate… We all are so proud of Anderson and that he is comfortable sharing such an important personal part of his life so openly.”
Former San Francisco Giants minor league player Solomon Bates came out as gay in 2022.
Billy Bean, a former MLB outfielder who played for three major-league teams from 1987 to 1995, came out in 1999 after retiring from the sport.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
