Frenando Tatis Jr. and his supporters are using every excuse in the book to find a way of dismissing a failed test for PEDs that has resulted in an 80-game suspension for the Padres superstar. Even his dad, Tatis Sr., claimed that his “haircut” was the reason for the negative test.
In a recent report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the San Diego Padres are still “livid” at their star slugger.
If there was any indication of this, prior to his suspension the franchise had a Tatis bobblehead giveaway scheduled for a promotional event at Petco Park that was scheduled for Sept. 7. After the news broke, the ballclub decided to cancel the event.
Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Tatis plans on meeting with his teammates to address the failed test. Some of the notable members of the Padres who have been critical of Tatis include Mike Clevinger, Joe Musgrove, and Manny Machado.
“It’s very important,” pitcher Joe Musgrove said. “Everyone has got different feelings in here on the whole situation. … Most of us have moved on. We’ve put it behind us. We don’t want to think about him more than we have to. But this is good. We deserve to hear from him and hear the truth of it from his mouth.”
Tatis had yet to appear in a game in 2022 while he was recovering from a wrist injury. However as Tatis was getting ready to make his return to the diamond, news of the suspension broke — putting to bed any chance of playing this season and the beginning of the next one.
The 23-year-old is one of the brightest young stars in the MLB, finishing in the top five of MVP voting in each of the last two years as well as leading the league with 42 home runs. The outfielder is signed through 2034 after agreeing to a 14-year contract extension that has earned through his exceptional play.
