In anticipation of Fernando Tatis Jr.'s return, the Padres have played the entire season without him. There will now be a wait until sometime in 2023.
Major League Baseball announced Friday that Tatis has been suspended 80 games for testing positive for Clostebol, a performance-enhancing drug.
Tatis will miss the remainder of this season and the first 33 games of 2023 due to the suspension without pay.
The Padres' postseason games in 2022 will count toward his suspension, reducing the number of games he will miss.
My sample tested positive for Clostebol, a banned substance, according to Major League Baseball. According to Tatis, he took a medication to treat ringworm that also contained Clostebol.
In order to ensure that my medications did not contain banned substances, I should have used the resources available to me. This was not done by me.
“I apologize to Peter, A.J., the entire Padres organization, my teammates, Major League Baseball, and fans everywhere for my mistake,” the statement continued.
"There is no excuse for my mistake, and I would never cheat or disrespect a game like this in the future.
An offseason motorcycle accident fractured Tatis' wrist, which has a .292/.369/.596 slash line over 273 career games.
In the course of the suspension, Tatis will forfeit approximately $3.2 million of the contract he signed prior to last season for a 14-year, $340 million deal.