Minor league pitcher Solomon Bates came out Tuesday as gay in an Instagram post shortly after being released by the Giants.
The former eighth-round pick out of USC who most recently was at Double-A Richmond said in his post that he was “still in shock” about being released from the organization, but that he wouldn’t let it keep him from pressing on toward his MLB dream.
“Being gay in this sport you don’t know what comes at you!” he wrote. “I thank the [G]iants for giving me the opportunity to be myself and go out there and play the game that I love the most.”
Bates was in the midst of his fifth professional season after being drafted by the Giants in 2018. He highlighted his career and season stats in his Instagram post, showing that he was enjoying career-best figures in earned-run average (3.74 vs. 4.30 career) and WHIP (1.131 vs. 1.349) before being released.
Bates has made 23 appearances at Double-A and two at the rookie-ball level this season, almost exclusively as a reliever.
According to Outsports, a site focused on the intersection between sports and the LGBTQ+ community, Bates is the second active minor league player to come out publicly after former Brewers prospect David Denson said in 2015 that he was gay.
Former Giants minor leaguer Kieran Lovegrove came out as bisexual as he was preparing to retire at the end of last season. No active major leaguer has come out as gay, though ex-A’s outfielder Glenn Burke was outed during his pro career and has said that prejudice drove him out of the game.
Bates vowed in his post to continue striving to reach the majors, advocating for the gay community along the way: “I’m still going to open up doors for gay athletes like me. Still will strive to be one of the greatest to do it. I ended on a high note from getting hurt to going out there and pitching my ass off. Baseball I’m not done with you. I’m leaving on my terms and my terms only.”