The San Diego Padres were close to having superstar shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr back from injury. On Friday, general manager AJ Preller and the team were blindsided by a bombshell: Tatis Jr had violated the MLB's performance-enhancing drug policy and received an 80-game suspension.
Speaking to the media Friday, Preller didn't mince words. And he definitely didn't hide his disappointment in the situation.
“It’s very disappointing,” Preller said. “He’s somebody that from the organization’s standpoint we’ve invested time and money into. When he’s on the field, he’s a difference maker. You have to learn from the situations.
We were hoping that from the offseason to now that there would be some maturity, and obviously with the news today, it’s more of a pattern and it’s something that we’ve got to to dig a bit more into. … I’m sure he’s very disappointed. But at the end of the day, it’s one thing to say it. You’ve got to start showing by your actions,” the Padres GM said.
Tatis Jr had yet to play in 2022 due to wrist and shoulder injuries sustained before the season. He will not return in 2022. Tatis Jr is also ineligible for the postseason and will miss the first 32 games of the 2023 campaign.
The superstar Padres shortstop released a statement through the Players Association in the wake of his suspension. According to Tatis Jr, the positive result stemmed from a medication he took to combat ringworm.
“I want to apologize to (Padres chairman) Peter (Seidler), 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 the game I love,” the Padres superstar said.
Tatis Jr clearly has a lot of work to do moving forward in order to get back in the good graces of the Padres organization. “I think what we need to get to is a point in time where we trust,” Preller said.
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