Anderson Gomez, a minor leaguer in the Chicago White Sox organization, came out as gay on Sunday, becoming the second active player affiliated with a major league team to make such a public announcement.
In An Instagram postGomes cautioned gay readers that the news wouldn’t be for them.
Gomez, 23, signed with Chicago in 2016 out of the Dominican Republic. He spent most of his career as an outfielder, but transitioned to a full-time relief pitcher in 2022. He had a 6.35 ERA in 11⅓ innings with Chicago’s rookie league team. Last season in Arizona, he struggled with some control issues and struck out more than a batter per inning.
After Comás’ post was published, the White Sox showed support for the decision, tweeting, “We’re all so proud of you, Anderson!” The team also issued a statement in support of the youngster.
“Andersen first shared his news with us last year,” Chris Getz, Chicago’s assistant general manager for player development, said in the statement. “And I’m really excited about what he’s going to share with us in player development.
“I was thrilled with the reaction across the organization, as you would expect for a teammate with support, help and well wishes. Through his social media post today, we’re all proud of Andersen and that he’s comfortable sharing an important personal part of his life so openly.
No major leaguer has publicly disclosed that they are gay while they were active players. But Glenn Burke, a rising star with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the late 1970s, was known by many of his teammates as gay. Burke was treated poorly by several teams in the majors, including the Dodgers, and died in 1995 of complications from AIDS. Acknowledging that mistreatment, the Dodgers celebrated Burke’s career at an annual Pride Night last summer.
Billy Beane, an outfielder for several teams from 1987 to 1995, came out as gay after his career ended.
In addition to Burke and Bean, David Denson, a minor league first baseman in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, publicly disclosed that he was gay in 2015. Tenson retired after the 2016 season.
The rarity of Comás’ announcement isn’t limited to baseball. Only a handful of players in other major American men’s sports leagues have come out as gay.
In his Instagram post, Gomez said he wanted to push back against some people’s belief that being gay limits what a person can achieve.
“I’m doing this because I want to be an inspiration to people like me who are fighting for their dreams,” he wrote. “Please don’t listen to those stupid things people say about us, fight for your dreams, believe in yourself and go for it.”
