Padres GM issues ultimatum for Fernando Tatis Jr. after PED suspension

Padres GM issues ultimatum for Fernando Tatis Jr. after PED suspension.

A. J. Preller, San Diego Padres General Manager, had some harsh truths to tell Fernando Tatis Jr. after he was flagged for PEDs on Friday.

“I think we’re hoping that from the offseason to now, that there would be some maturity, he said.
“And obviously with the news today, it’s more of a pattern and something we’ve got to dig a little 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 have to start by showing it with your actions.”

But that wasn’t all he had to say about the 80-game suspension Tatis Jr. is facing.

A. J. Preller had hope that Fernando Tatis Jr. would show ‘maturity’

“I think what we need to get to is a point in time where we trust. … Over the course of the last six or seven months I think that’s been something that we haven’t really been able to have.”

Tatis Jr. released a statement taking responsibility for the slip-up but blamed it on ringworm medication.

“I am completely devastated,” he wrote. “There is nowhere else in the world I would rather be than on the field competing with my teammates. After initially appealing the suspension, I have realized my mistake was the cause of this result, and for that reason I have decided to start serving my suspension immediately. I look forward to rejoining my teammates on the field in 2023.”