Major League Baseball announced Friday afternoon that Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. has been suspended 80 games without pay after testing positive for Clostebol, a banned performance-enhancing substance. ESPN’s Jeff Passan ( Twitter link ) reported that Tatis had failed a PED test seconds before the league’s announcement.
The Padres released a statement regarding the stunning development:
“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 was subsequently served 80 games without pay.” We fully support the program and hope that Fernando will learn from this experience.”
Tatis will go the entire 2022 season without appearing in a major league game. The star fractured his left wrist in an offseason motorcycle accident, an injury that was revealed when he reported to the team during spring training. He underwent surgery and was out of action for months. There was finally light at the end of the tunnel when Tatis was sent to Double-A for rehab last week. He had played in four minor league games and was scheduled to rejoin the big league club in a few weeks. This will no longer be the case.
MLB specified that Tatis’ suspension is effective immediately. The Padres have 48 games left in the regular season. That would leave him in position to miss the first 32 games of the 2023 season as well, though Tatis’ suspension would be reduced for any playoff games he misses (if the Padres reach the postseason this year). Regardless of exactly how long his suspension will last next season, Tatis’ 2022 season is finally over.
It’s a crushing blow for a San Diego team that enters Friday night’s game clinching the final Wild Card spot in the National League. They are just a game away from the Brewers, setting the stage for a hotly contested pennant race. If they want to make the postseason, the Friars will have to do so without the elite midseason boost they relied on.
That doesn’t mean the Padres are doomed. They’ve been without the two-time Silver Slugger all season and yet are 12 games over .500 with a +40 run differential. The ultimate blockbuster to add Juan Soto and Josh Bell now looms larger than ever. San Diego still has a fearsome middle position with Soto, Bell, Manny Machado, while Jake Cronenworth and Jurickson Profar have hitters at above-average levels.
There’s no way to replace a player who owns a .292/.369/.596 slash line over his first three major league seasons, but the Padres are in as good a position as a team can reasonably be to weather Tatis’ absence . They got strong play from Ha-Seong Kim at shortstop in his second MLB season. The former KBO star is hitting .247/.324/.371 in 392 plate appearances, right around league-average offense as measured by wRC+. Public metrics peg Kim as one of the best defensive players in the sport, making him a more than adequate replacement for the rest of the season.
There is more.
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