San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. has been suspended for 80 games after testing positive for a PED violating Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Tatis’ suspension begins immediately and comes right in the middle of a playoff push by the Padres in the NL west.
According to ESPN, Tatis will not be appealing the ban and explained why the positive test was his mistake. “It turns out that I inadvertently took a medication to treat ringworm that contained Clostebol,” Tatis said after testing positive. “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.”
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Tatis added that he has taken “countless” drug tests in his career to this point and always tested negative until this test. The latest test was on March 29, 2022.
“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.”
While Tatis has a long career ahead, his suspension, especially given the circumstances, is a blow to the Padres who thought they’d be in the running for 2022. While the team currently stands in second place in the NL West, they are 16 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers with 48 games left to play.
The suspension will only count through the end of the regular season, picking up the final 30 games to kick off the 2023 season. If the Padres make the playoffs, Tatis is ineligible to participate and the games won’t count toward his suspension total.
The Padres have Tatis Jr. under contract for at least the next dozen seasons and has a no-trade clause through 2028. There is plenty of time for Tatis to aid the team’s playoff aspirations.
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