Fernando Tatis Jr. suspended 80 games after positive PED test
Feb 28, 2020; Peoria, Arizona, USA; San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr against the Chicago Cubs during a spring training game at Peoria Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Fernando Tatis Jr’s nightmare 2022 continues.
The MLB commissioner’s office announced on Friday that the San Diego Padres star has been suspended without pay for 80 games after a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs. The drug Tatis tested positive for is Clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid. His suspension will begin immediately.
The Padres released a statement on Tatis’ suspension, saying that they were “surprised and extremely disappointed” by the news.
Padres issue statement on Tatis suspension pic.twitter.com/M4uH0CaLF2
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 12, 2022
Tatis, 23, had yet to play this season after undergoing surgery in March for a wrist fracture. He was nearing a return to action, but the suspension renders him ineligible for the remainder of the regular season plus the postseason. Tatis’ ban will also carry over into the start of the 2023 campaign.
The Padres signed Tatis to a 14-year, $340 million contract extension before the 2021 season (which locks him up through 2034). Considering that Tatis’ wrist injury arose under questionable circumstances as well, that contract is already starting to look like a monumental mistake for San Diego.
