Fernando Tatis Jr., star shortstop of the San Diego Padres, has been suspended for 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance in violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
Tatis’ suspension, announced by MLB on Friday, is effective immediately, meaning the All-Star shortstop cannot play in the majors this year.
In a statement, Tatis said he is not appealing the ban as it was his “mistake” that led to the positive test.
“It turns out that I inadvertently took a medication to treat ringworm that contained Clostebol,” Tatis said. “I should have used the resources available to me in order to ensure that no banned substances were in what I took. I failed to do so.
“I want to apologize to [team owner] Peter [Seidler], AJ [Preller], the entire Padres organization, my teammates, Major League Baseball and fans everywhere for my mistake. I have no excuse for my error, and I would never do anything to cheat or disrespect this game I love. I have taken countless drug tests throughout my professional career, including on March 29, 2022, all of which have returned negative results until this test.”
With testing positive for Clostebol, Tatis will be on the restricted list for the final 48 games of the Padres’ regular season.
What does this mean for Tatis playing in the postseason?
The news doesn’t get better here. Any postseason games the Padres play this season will count toward Tatis’ 80-game total.
The remainder of the suspension will be served at the beginning of the 2023 season.
MLB said the suspension also will knock Tatis out of playing for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.
Anticipation, Excitement, and now — Disappointment
After missing the first four months of the season because of a broken left wrist, the result of a motorcycle accident in December, Tatis was on a minor league rehabilitation assignment at the time of the suspension.
The Padres rocked the sports world at the MLB Trade deadline when they traded for star outfielder Juan Soto. With intentions of Tatis, Soto, and star third baseman Manny Machado leading the way — San Diego’s fan base were eagerly looking forward to the postseason with their team posing a serious threat in the National League.
“Hearing that he’s going to get suspended for 80 games and not be a part of what we’re trying to accomplish here is something you don’t want to hear before a game and don’t want to hear overall. It’s just a terrible thing,” Machado said. “We were waiting to get him back and for him to be a sparkplug.”
The disappointment is clear from all sides of this. Tatis is in the second season of a 14-year, $340 million contract. The Padres made a massive investment in the 23-year old as the face of their franchise. Additionally, he’s one of MLB’s key pieces to their marketing push for drawing more younger viewers to the game.
“He’s somebody that from the organization’s standpoint we’ve invested time and money into,” Padres general manager A.J. Preller told reporters. “When he’s on the field, he’s a difference-maker. You have to learn from the situations. We were hoping that from the offseason to now that there would be some maturity, and obviously with the news today, it’s more of a pattern and it’s something that we’ve got to dig a bit more into. … I’m sure he’s very disappointed. But at the end of the day, it’s one thing to say it. You’ve got to start showing by your actions.”
With all of that, props Tatis for owning up to what he did, taking full accountability. That’s a step in the right direction.
However, as Preller said in his comments, the damage is done. And now it’s time for one of the game’s best players — we were all looking forward to getting back on the field — to backup his words with better choices.
Anthony Rushing is on Twitter @TonyRushingNY
Baseline Sports NY is on Twitter @Baseline_NY
