About a week ago, the Padres fan base was over the moon with the unexpected arrival of Juan Soto to San Diego.
Fast forward to today, their biggest start, Fernando Tatis Jr., has been officially handed an 80-game ban for testing positive for using performance-enhancing drugs.
This is shocking news for Padres fans awaiting his highly-anticipated return to this stacked baseball roster, especially after the recent acquisition of his fellow Dominican friend, Juan Soto.
The specific drug Tatis Jr. tested positive for is Clostebol, a PED considered a violation under the league's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
His suspension goes into effect immediately.
The San Diego Padres released a statement on the shocking news Friday, stating that they will cooperate and support the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program's policy.
"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," the Padres said in a statement. "We fully support the Program and are hopeful that Fernando will learn from this experience."
The Dominican baseball star released a statement shortly after the league notified him of his 80-game suspension, which carries over to sometime next season.
Tatis Jr. apologized to the league, the club, and Padres fans for this outcome, and also claimed that he inadvertently used this particular drug to "treat ringworm" that just so happened to contain PED Clostebol.
“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 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.”
