Fernando Tatis Jr. met with the media on Tuesday afternoon, taking an apologetic tone as he spoke publicly for the first time since he was suspended for testing positive for a banned substance.
“I would like to start today just by saying how truly sorry I am,” said Tatis, speaking from the home dugout at Petco Park. “I am really sorry. I have let so many people down.”
Tatis, who was suspended for 80 games after testing positive for Clostebol, spent the last several days making amends to members of the franchise, and he apologized to his teammates, on Tuesday.
“I know I have a lot of love I have to gain back, and I have a lot of work to do,” he said. “It’s going to be a very long process to gain everybody’s trust.”
Tatis admitted he took Clostebol as part of a medication to treat a skin infection that contained a steroid starting in June, without conferring with the teams’ medical staff. Tatis stated that he continued using that substance until he tested positive late last month. Tatis thought about an appeal for a couple of weeks, but when it became clear that it probably was not going to turn out in his favor, he accepted his punishment, which was officially doled out on August 13.
“At the end of the day, there’s no excuses,” Tatis said. “I need to do a way better job on what is going inside my body. There’s no excuses on these actions. … It was a stupid mistake. It was me being reckless.”
Also, Tatis made it known that he will undergo surgery to repair the shoulder injury that led to multiple dislocations last season. The team was banking on Tatis having that surgery last offseason, but he chose not to go that route then. That procedure will happen “ASAP.” Tatis said, and he expects to be ready to go when his suspension is lifted next April/May.
For now, Tatis says he will remain present with the team, though he is not allowed at the stadium during games. He met with the guys on Tuesday in a player-only meeting, which was the first time he had done so since the suspension was levied against him. Based on the statements of those involved, Tatis seemed sincere and remorseful in his apology, which was accepted with open arms in the Padres’ clubhouse.
“We’ve all made dumb mistakes that we regret,” said Manny Machado. “But we’ve just got to move past it and learn from it and hold yourself accountable. Today, he came in here and spoke to the group, said what he needed to say. At the end of the day, we’re all family here.”
Right-hander Joe Musgrove said, “It’s not an easy conversation to have. For him to come in and face the team, face-to-face, and be honest with us and let us know what happened, that’s what everyone wanted.”
When the suspension came down, several of his teammates had severe reactions to the news. Tatis said he understood every word of it.
While the Padres fight to get into the playoffs as a wild card team, Titas has not appeared in a game this season. He was in a motorcycle accident back in December that was probably the cause of his right wrist fracture. Titas was on the shelf for the first four months of the campaign due to that injury. His banishment will now sideline him for the remainder of the season and playoffs, as well as 32 games in 2023. Any contest the Padres participate in the 2022 postseason will count toward the suspension, which would shorten the number of games he will have to miss next year.
“I just let them know … that it was going to change, that I’m going to take better steps moving forward, that I was going to make sure that all of this never happens again,” Tatis said.
Of course, regaining trust and respect inside the Padres’ clubhouse is one thing. Regaining trust outside of it is another. Once thought to be the future of MLB, Tatis’ image has been damaged with his recent suspension.
When he is on the field, Tatis has been one of the most electric and productive players in the sport, with a pair of top-five MVP finishes, two first-team All-MLB selections and a career .292/.369/.596 slash line with 81 homers in his first 273 career games. With a PED suspension to his name, what would Tatis say to the people who question the validity of those numbers?
“It has got nothing to do with it, but at the same time, I’ve given those reasons to think that way,” Tatis said. “It’s up to me now to start looking to the future, and, like I mentioned before, start making those changes.”
Tatis apology extended beyond his positive test results. He expressed sorrow for the motorcycle accident, saying he wished “in the first place, I wouldn’t have gotten on the motorcycle.”
“Any relationship that’s worth having, there’s going to be some great moments, and there’s going to be some challenging moments,” said Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller. “I’ve talked a lot with Fernando about mistakes. We all make mistakes. I’ve made plenty of mistakes here as the general manager of this team, as I’m sure Padres fans will let me know from time to time. But the key is how you learn from those mistakes. How you grow from those mistakes.”
On Tuesday, Tatis committed to doing so.
“I know there’s been a lot of talk out there, but it’s with actions,” Tatis said. “The actions are going to speak for myself in the future. There’s going to be a whole new story out there, and there are going to be changes out there. It starts today.”
