Brewers prospect David Denson first gay active pro baseball player

— -- Milwaukee Brewers minor leaguer David Denson has become the first openly gay active player on a team affiliated with Major League Baseball.

Denson, a first baseman for the Brewers' rookie league affiliate in Helena, Montana, was spurred to come out to his teammates when, about a month ago, a teammate in the clubhouse jokingly referred to him with a derogatory term for a gay male. "Be careful what you say. You never know," Denson told the teammate, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which Denson engaged to help to share his story with the public.

After that encounter, Denson knew he had the opportunity he had been waiting for to share with his teammates.

Denson, who hit a home run and was named MVP of the Pioneer League All-Star Game earlier this month, said he was relieved to find nothing but support from the team after his emotional announcement.

"Talking with my teammates, they gave me the confidence I needed, coming out to them," Denson told the Journal Sentinel. "They said, 'You're still our teammate. You're still our brother. We kind of had an idea, but your sexuality has nothing to do with your ability. You're still a ballplayer at the end of the day. We don't treat you any different. We've got your back.'"

Denson said his teammates' response lifted a significant burden off him.

"That was a giant relief for me," Denson said. "I never wanted to feel like I was forcing it on them. It just happened. The outcome was amazing. It was nice to know my teammates see me for who I am, not my sexuality."

Denson, 20, enlisted the help of Billy Bean, a former major leaguer who came out as gay four years after his career ended in 1999, to advise on how to publicly announce his story.

Bean was named Major League Baseball's first ambassador for Inclusion in 2014.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.