On Friday evening the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball declared that the San Diego Padres shortstop and outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. was given suspension with 80 games without pay after testing positive for the performance-enhancing substance Clostebol.
After testing positive for a PED, San Diego Padres star Fernando has been suspended for 80 games instantly and comes right in the middle of a playoff push by the Padres in the NL west. The substance is in violation of the MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program as the league says.
Speaking to ESPN, Tatis explained about his mistake in testing positive and added thaty he would not be appealing the ban. “It turns out that I inadvertently took a medication to treat ringworm that contained Clostebol,” said Tatis, “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 Peter, AJ, 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.”
The 23-year-old further added that he had undergone “countless” other tests in the past, all of which returned negative results, except for the latest one.
“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,” Tatis continued, “I look forward to rejoining my teammates on the field in 2023.”
The suspension is a blast to the Padres who thought they would be in the running for title in 2022. They are right now placed second in the NL West, and are 16 games behind the LA Dodgers with 48 games remaining.
For at least the next dozen seasons, the Padres have Tatis Jr. under the contract and have a no-trade section through 2028. There is much time for Tatis to help the playoff ambition of the team.
