Just moments before San Diego Padres slugger Fernando Tatis Jr. met with the media for the first time since being suspended 80 games, he reportedly had a players-only meeting with his teammates. During the meeting, the players from the sound of it let him know exactly what they were thinking.
His teammates gave him “a lot of tough love,” Tatis said of those meetings, as noted by ESPN's Alden Gonzalez. “But at the same time I feel like there was great communication. Fair words were out there. At the end of the day, they gave me a chance.”
The baseball world was rocked 11 days ago when news surfaced that Tatis Jr. had tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. Unlike so many athletes in the past, Tatis Jr. showed contrition throughout. That culminated in his press conference in the dugout at Petco Park Tuesday.
“I have seen how my dreams have turned into my worst nightmares,” Tatis Jr. said. “There's no other one to blame than myself. I haven't made the right decisions these past few weeks, month, even starting in the beginning of the year. I have made a mistake, and I regret every single step I have taken in these days.
Fernando Tatis Jr. talked about failing his family, his teammates, Padres fans and ownership.
San Diego was looking to add him to an already lethal lineup. The Padres traded for Juan Soto, Josh Bell and Brandon Drury, making their lineup one of deepest in all of baseball. Instead, he will be suspended until at least sometime next May. It was also revealed that Tatis Jr. will be having shoulder surgery while he is away from the club.
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