On the verge of returning to motion after wrist surgical operation that had saved him out all season, Fernando Tatis Jr., the 23-year-old megastar shortstop and outfielder of the San Diego Padres, has been suspended for 80 video games for a contravention of Major League Baseball’s drug prevention and remedy program.
In the announcement of the suspension, M.L.B. specified that Tatis had examined certain for Clostebol, a performance-enhancing substance that could be a artificial anabolic-androgenic steroid. As the Padres have fewer than 80 video games ultimate this season, Tatis’s yr is over earlier than it began.
For San Diego, the suspension is a big blow to a crew that made a touch on the buying and selling time limit by means of obtaining a number of new gamers, together with Juan Soto, a 23-year-old famous person outfielder. While the crew has itself in place for a wild-card spot even with out Tatis, the go back in their younger megastar — whom the crew signed to a 14-year $340 million contract remaining yr — have been anticipated so as to add but every other jolt of their hopes of contending for the primary World Series name in franchise historical past.
With the 80-game suspension, Tatis in an instant turns into some of the maximum distinguished gamers to stand a penalty all over M.L.B.’s trying out generation. Other stars to have confronted suspensions come with Manny Ramirez in 2009 (50 video games) and 2011 (100 video games), Miguel Tejada in 2013 (105 video games) and Alex Rodriguez in 2014 (162 video games).
More not too long ago, Robinson Canó served an 80-game suspension for a contravention of the coverage in 2018 after which was once banned for a complete yr in 2020.
Tatis, whose father was once additionally a big leaguer, was once an All-Star remaining season when he led the National League with 42 house runs. He injured his wrist in a bike twist of fate within the low season, and when it didn’t heal correctly he had surgical operation all over spring coaching. At the time, he was once anticipated to be out for 3 months or extra.
On a rehab task within the minors this week, Tatis had extensively been anticipated to go back to the Padres subsequent week.