Former Rangers Exec Blasts Tatis After Suspension

Fernando Tatis Jr. was on the verge of returning to help the San Diego Padres for a postseason push. Instead, he'll miss the rest of the season.

Fernando Tatis Jr. will miss the remainder of the Major League season after testing positive for a banned substance, MLB announced on Friday.

Tatis’ 80-game suspension is without pay and comes after testing positive for Clostebol, a performance-enhancing substance in violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Clostebol is a synthetic anabolic–androgenic steroid.

Tatis issued a statement admitting fault and is not appealing the suspension.

"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."

The suspension’s length ensures that he will not play for the Padres this season. He will not be eligible for any postseason games, meaning the Padres won’t get to pair Tatis and new acquisition Juan Soto in their batting order until 2023.

Preller, the Padres general manager and former longtime Rangers executive under current team president Jon Daniels office, expressed disappointment in Tatis.

"He's somebody that from the organization's standpoint we've invested time and money into," Preller told reporters Friday. "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.

Tatis had missed this season after suffering a wrist injury after riding a motorcycle earlier this year. He was in the midst of an injury rehab assignment with the Padres’ Double-A affiliate in San Antonio, and the Missions are playing a series with Texas affiliate Frisco RoughRiders this week. Tatis’ presence on the field had drawn large crowds in Frisco.

He did not play in Thursday’s game when the Rangers’ No. 1 prospect, Jack Leiter, pitched.

Tatis is one of the game’s most exciting young players. The career .292 hitter broke into the Majors in 2019 and third place in balloting for the National League Rookie of the Year Award, behind Pete Alonso and Mike Soroka.

He has 81 career home runs and 195 career RBI. He led the NL in home runs in 2021, which marked his first All-Star season. He’s also earned All-MLB First Teams honors in 2020 and 2021.

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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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