Fernando Tatis Jr. Suspended 80 Games for PED Violation
Major League Baseball announced Friday that Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., who has been out all season with a broken wrist, has been suspended 80 games after testing positive for Clostebol. No relation to former NBA legend Manute Bol, this testosterone derivative was initially developed in East Germany and has previously led to suspensions for Freddy Galvis and Dee Strange-Gordon.
MLB announced that Fernando Tatis Jr. has received an 80-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Clostebol, a performance-enhancing substance in violation of MLB's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Tatis' suspension is effective immediately.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) August 12, 2022
The Padres could still make a run this season with Juan Soto and Manny Machado leading the way, but this is a boneheaded move by a player who was just about ready to return. Tatis had been rehabbing at Double-A and could have given the Padres a huge boost down the stretch if he’d just relied on his youth to enable him to build back any strength he’d lost as a result of his injury.
I typically just shrug my shoulders when it comes to dudes juicing, particularly when they’re older and trying to rehab an injury or hang on for another season or two. But when you’re 23 years old and already sitting on a massive extension, the risks just don’t seem to be worth the reward.