Tatis Jr. was given an 80-game suspension for using a prohibited substance
In anticipation of their great shortstop’s return, the Padres have played the entire season without Fernando Tatis Jr. It looks like they will have to put off their plans until 2023 now.
Major League Baseball said on Friday that Tatis would be suspended for 80 games after he tested positive for Clostebol, a performance-enhancing steroid. Tatis will sit out the rest of this season and the first 33 games of 2023 due to the immediate and unpaid suspension. The number of games he has to sit out in 2022 can be reduced by the number of games the Padres play in the postseason.
“I have been informed by Major League Baseball that a test sample I submitted returned a positive result for Clostebol, a banned substance,” Tatis said in a statement. “It turns out that I inadvertently took a medication to treat ringworm that contained Closteblol. 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.
The rest of the statement read, “I want to apologize to Peter, A.J., the entire Padres organization, my teammates, Major League Baseball, and fans everywhere for my mistake,ve 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.
“I am completely devastated. There is nowhere else in the world I would rather be than on the field competing with my teammates. After initially appealing the suspension, I have realized that my mistake was the cause of this result, and for that reason I have decided to start serving my suspension immediately. I look forward to rejoining my teammates on the field in 2023.”
“We were surprised and extremely disappointed to learn today that Fernando Tatis Jr. tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance in violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Prevention and Treatment Program and subsequently received an 80-game suspension without pay. We fully support the Program and are hopeful that Fernando will learn from this experience.”
This is a huge deal for the Padres, and it could not have come at a worse time. The team had hoped Tatis, who started a rehab stint on August 6, would return to action later this month or maybe as soon as next week. The 23-year-old has been out of action since March 16 when he had surgery to fix a broken scaphoid bone in his left wrist. Tatis, who hit .292/.369/.596 .292/.369/.596 in 273 career games over three big league seasons, fractured his wrist in a motorbike accident in the winter.
As a result of his ban, Tatis, who signed a 14-year, $340 million agreement before last season, would lose almost $3.2 million.