NL West

San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. has reportedly made enemies in his clubhouse after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug, leading to an 80-game suspension.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, "the Padres remain absolutely livid with Tatis."

The Padres have removed the shortstop from promotion material, taking him off the Petco Park mural while also canceling his bobblehead day scheduled for Sept. 7.

Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported Tatis planned to meet with teammates as a group this week to address the failed test.

According to Acee, teammates "expressed disappointment and anger" after the news while some thought him addressing it was "necessary."

"It’s very important," pitcher Joe Musgrove said. "Everyone has got different feelings in here on the whole situation. ... Most of us have moved on. We’ve put it behind us. We don’t want to think about him more than we have to. But this is good. We deserve to hear from him and hear the truth of it from his mouth."

Other teammates have weighed in on the suspension:

Some Padres weighed in on Fernando Tatis Jr.'s suspension pic.twitter.com/ebMxbMHmPP

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) August 13, 2022

Tatis had yet to appear in a game in 2022 while recovering from a wrist injury, but he was nearing a return when news of the suspension broke. He will now miss the rest of the year— as well as the start of 2023—while the squad attempts a title run.

The 23-year-old is signed through 2034 after agreeing to a 14-year contract extension, and he has certainly been worth the deal on the field. Tatis has finished in the top five of MVP voting in each of the last two years, finishing last season with a league-leading 42 home runs to go with 25 stolen bases and a .975 OPS.

Through three seasons, Tatis is hitting .292 while averaging 48 home runs and 31 stolen bases per 162 games.

The PED suspension raises major question marks about his future in San Diego.

San Diego Padres pitcher Blake Snell has been cleared to make his start against the Washington Nationals, just one night after he was involved in a car accident with a suspected drunk driver.

According to ESPN, Snell's vehicle was struck during a traffic stop on Interstate 5 just one hour after San Diego's 3-1 loss to Washington on Thursday night.

Snell was pulled over by a San Diego police officer for an alleged traffic violation, but it wasn't specified why his vehicle was stopped. The passenger who was in Snell's car at the time of the accident was evaluated after complaining of pain but was released without being hospitalized. After the car crash, the driver of the other vehicle was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Snell was evaluated by the Padres medical team on Friday before being cleared to take the mound.

"Physically, he's fine," manager Bob Melvin said before Friday's game. "But that can shake you up a little bit. But our guys checked him out today. And we've talked to him. And he's ready to pitch. So I think we probably got lucky."

Snell enters Friday's start with a 5-6 record and 3.66 ERA in 15 starts this season. He was placed on the injured list earlier this season after experiencing left adductor tightness.

The Padres are hoping to get back on track after losing four of their last six games. San Diego sits one game behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the second wild card spot in the National League entering Friday.

San Diego Padres star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. is continuing to see ramifications from his 80-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres have canceled a giveaway of Tatis bobbleheads that was planned for September:

The Padres will announce today that the Sept. 7 Fernando Tatis Jr. bobblehead giveaway has been changed to a Juan Soto City Connect shirsey giveaway.

— Kevin Acee (@sdutKevinAcee) August 16, 2022

The 23-year-old shortstop had already been out after suffering a wrist injury reportedly stemming from a motorcycle accident. His positive PED test is yet another disappointment less than two years after he was signed to a 14-year, $340 million contract.

Tatis' father, Fernando Tatis Sr., told MLB insider Héctor Gómez on Monday that his son used a topical spray to treat an infection from a haircut. During an appearance on The Midday Show (h/t ESPN's Alden Gonzalez), Tatis Sr. called it a "catastrophe for baseball" that his son received such a significant suspension.

Jonathan Papelbon is not a Fernando Tatis Jr. fan.

The former closer had strong words for Tatis after he was suspended 80 games for violating Major League Baseball's drug policy.

"This whole Tatis stuff, man, it almost enrages me," he said over the weekend on WEEI's The Bradfo Sho podcast. "I worked my ass off so long and so hard and did it the right way. For me, to see something like that, it hurts me so bad. I'll tell you right now: If I was pitching, every single time I face that dude, I'm drilling him. I don't care if I'm bringing in a run and losing the game."

Tatis' father, Fernando Tatis Sr., told the Dominican Republic's The Midday Show that his son had used Trofobol to treat ringworm on his neck, per ESPN's Alden Gonzalez. Clostebol, the banned substance that Tatis tested positive for, is one of the ingredients in Trofobol.

Regardless of why Tatis used Clostebol or whether he did so knowingly, the substance is on the banned list for both the World Anti-Doping Agency and Major League Baseball.

It will also keep the shortstop/outfielder out for the remainder of the regular season and through the playoffs if the Padres make it that far, with any remaining games of the suspension to be served next season. That has proved to be a disappointment for some of his teammates and general manager A.J. Preller.

"Very disappointed," pitcher Mike Clevinger told reporters. "The second time we've been disappointed with him. You hope he grows up and learns from this and learns it's about more than just him."

The first disappointment Clevinger was likely referencing was Tatis fracturing his wrist in an offseason motorcycle crash, which had sidelined the 23-year-old for the entirety of the current season.

"He's somebody that from the organization's standpoint we've invested time and money into," Preller said of Tatis, who signed a 14-year, $340 million contract extension in February 2021. "When he's on the field, he's a difference-maker. You have to learn from the situations. We were hoping that from the offseason to now that there would be some maturity, and obviously with the news today, it's more of a pattern and it's something that we've got to dig a bit more into."

Papelbon, 41, pitched for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals in a 12-year career from 2005-16, accumulating 368 career saves.

The six-time All-Star was no stranger to a bit of controversy during his playing career himself, most famously fighting with teammate Bryce Harper in the Washington Nationals dugout.

So there is the possibility Papelbon would have chosen to throw fastballs in Tatis' direction every time he faced him had the two players' careers lined up, though many people would probably argue that it would be the least mature way possible for him to handle his grievances.

San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. was suspended 80 games for violating Major League Baseball's performance-enhancing drug policy after testing positive for Clostebol, and David Ortiz believes the league could have handled the situation differently.

"MLB needs to have some regulations before they made public news like the one that happened to Tatis Jr.," he said, per baseball insider Héctor Gómez. "I think they haven't handled this situation the right way. We can't kill our product, we're talking about an amazing player."

Ortiz is correct in saying Tatis is "an amazing player" considering the shortstop was an All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner during his first three seasons. He led the league with 42 home runs in 2021 after he signed a 14-year, $340 million contract extension with the Padres.

However, the 23-year-old is yet to play a game this season because of a fractured wrist, and now he won't take the field again until the 2023 campaign.

Tatis said he tested positive because he "inadvertently took a medication to treat ringworm" as part of a statement issued by the MLB Players Association:

The Major League Baseball Players Association issued the following statement on behalf of Fernando Tatis, Jr.: pic.twitter.com/gCNVcs0a5Y

— MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) August 12, 2022

Padres manager Bob Melvin told reporters Tatis "feels remorseful" about the suspension that added to his extended absence that started with the wrist injury that required surgery and may have happened because of a December motorcycle accident.

"This is the second time we've been disappointed with him," pitcher Mike Clevinger told reporters. "You hope he grows up and learns from this and learns that it's about more than just him right now. I think we're going to be just fine. Look at this clubhouse. We really don't need anybody else. It'd be nice to have somebody else, but we don't need anybody else. We got everything we need right here."

General manager A.J. Preller didn't exactly hold back when discussing the situation either:

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." (2/2)

— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) August 13, 2022

Fortunately for the Padres, they improved their team ahead of the trade deadline by adding Juan Soto, Josh Bell, Brandon Drury and Josh Hader and are currently in wild-card position in the National League.

Regardless, it was a stunning development, and Ortiz isn't the only one who thinks it could have been handled differently.

Fernando Tatis Sr. said the situation started with a haircut:

Fernando Tatis Sr.: "What involves him (Tatis Jr.) is a steroid that contains a spray called trofobol... He got a fungus due to a haircut. His mistake was not reading what it contains, which is what apparently makes him guilty of something totally unknown".

— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) August 15, 2022

Fernando Tatis Sr: "It was a mistake that could have been handled differently, destroy the image of a player for such a small thing, for a situation like this. Is a catastrophe not just for Tatis Jr, but for all baseball. There’s millions of fans that will stop watching baseball"

— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) August 15, 2022

Fernando Tatis Sr.: "All of this has happened because of something that is not worth this issue. This is something for the skin, that’s something that’s not performance enhancing and has no testosterone. It has nothing to help you improve in the game."

— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) August 15, 2022

For his part, Ortiz was also connected to PEDs from his playing days. However, he has consistently discredited that connection and has since been elected to the Hall of Fame even though others who were connected, such as Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire, have not.

A bad haircut might have been the genesis of San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. testing positive for a banned substance.

"What involves him is a steroid that contains a spray called trofobol," Fernando Tatis Sr. said of his son, per MLB insider Héctor Gómez. "... He got a fungus due to a haircut. His mistake was not reading what it contains, which is what apparently makes him guilty of something totally unknown."

Fernando Tatis Sr: "It was a mistake that could have been handled differently, destroy the image of a player for such a small thing, for a situation like this. Is a catastrophe not just for Tatis Jr, but for all baseball. There’s millions of fans that will stop watching baseball"

— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) August 15, 2022

Fernando Tatis Sr.: "All of this has happened because of something that is not worth this issue. This is something for the skin, that’s something that’s not performance enhancing and has no testosterone. It has nothing to help you improve in the game."

— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) August 15, 2022

The younger Tatis said he used a medication that contained Clostebol to treat ringworm.

The Major League Baseball Players Association issued the following statement on behalf of Fernando Tatis, Jr.: pic.twitter.com/gCNVcs0a5Y

— MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) August 12, 2022

Tatis' 80-game suspension will leave him unavailable for the remainder of the 2022 season and the start of the 2023 campaign.

The 23-year-old already saw his 2022 debut delayed indefinitely after undergoing wrist surgery to repair an injury that may have resulted from a motorcycle accident.

General manager A.J. Preller and starting pitcher Mike Clevinger didn't mince words in the wake of Tatis' suspension, which appears to have exposed an existing level of frustration with the young shortstop.

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." (2/2)

— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) August 13, 2022

"It's the second time we've been disappointed with him, and you hope he grows up…"

Mike Clevinger on Fernando Tatis Jr.'s suspension. pic.twitter.com/lOG4o61S0s

— Sporting News MLB (@sn_mlb) August 13, 2022

"That's his story," Preller told reporters in reference to Tatis' explanation.

The GM also indicated the team could further scrutinize the circumstances of Tatis' offseason wrist injury:

"We'll start digging into the shoulder and the wrist. We'll look a little bit more into that now because we'll have some more time to have some conversations there. And yeah, I think what we need to get to is a point in time where we trust [each other]. 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 there."

Preller also alluded to a breakdown in trust between the two parties:

Speaking just now about Fernando Tatis Jr., A.J. Preller said:
"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."

— Kevin Acee (@sdutKevinAcee) August 13, 2022

In general, this was a shockingly forthright way for a team official to speak about a player who's positioned as the future of the franchise. This is only the second year of Tatis' 14-year, $340 million extension with San Diego.

When news of the wrist injury first surfaced in March, some wondered whether the Padres had grounds to void Tatis' contract. They didn't, with one obvious reason being there was no reason to risk antagonizing the two-time Silver Slugger winner.

There's nothing to indicate San Diego is already at a point where it has buyer's remorse and would prefer to move Tatis, but Preller's comments were both damning and potentially telling as to how the organization has shifted.

Whatever the reason behind the positive test, the outcome remains the same for Tatis and the Padres. It's clear he has some work ahead to repair his relationship with the team.

San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. was suspended 80 games Friday for violating Major League Baseball's performance-enhancing drug policy, and now, general manager A.J. Preller is questioning the slugger's maturity.

"I think we're hoping that from the offseason to now, that there would be some maturity. And obviously with the news today, it's more of a pattern and something we've got to dig a little bit more into," Preller told reporters. "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."

"I think what we need to get to is a point in time we trust [him]. Over the course of the last six or seven months, that's been something that we haven't been really able to have there," Preller added, via ESPN's Jeff Passan.

"I think from our standpoint, obviously he's a great talent, he's a guy we have a lot of history with and do believe in, but these things only work when there's trust both ways.''

Tatis tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug Clostebol, according to Passan. He will miss the remainder of the 2022 season and will miss the beginning of the 2023 campaign while serving the suspension.

The 2021 All-Star also will not be allowed to compete for the Dominican Republic at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Tatis said in a statement that he took the drug as a mistake and is not appealing the ban:

"It turns out that I inadvertently took a medication to treat ringworm that contained Clostebol. I should have used the resources available to me in order to ensure that no banned substances were in what I took. I failed to do so.

"I want to apologize to Peter [Seidler], AJ [Preller], the entire Padres organization, my teammates, Major League Baseball and fans everywhere for my mistake. I have no excuse for my error, and I would never do anything to cheat or disrespect this game I love."

The 23-year-old hasn't played any games for the Padres this season and was on a rehab assignment with one of San Diego's minor league affiliates after recovering from wrist surgery stemming from a reported motorcycle accident.

Tatis emerged as a star in MLB when he broke onto the scene in 2019, finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting after slashing .317/.379/.590 with 22 home runs and 53 RBI in 84 games.

He followed that up hitting .277/.366/.571 with 17 home runs and 45 RBI in 59 games during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He finished fourth in MVP voting and earned his first Silver Slugger Award.

Tatis went on to have another impressive season in 2021, hitting .282/.364/.611 with 42 home runs and 97 RBI in 130 games. He earned his first All-Star Game selection, his second Silver Slugger Award and finished third in MVP voting.

Not having Tatis available for the postseason is a tough blow for the Padres, who entered Friday's game against the Washington Nationals second in the NL West with a 63-51 record. Luckily, the franchise now has another superstar in Juan Soto, who should help them make a solid playoff run.

Six days after going out on a rehab assignment in his next step to return from a fractured wrist, San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr.'s return is going to be delayed until the 2023 season.

Major League Baseball announced Friday that Tatis has received an 80-game suspension for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy after testing positive for Clostebol.

Padres statement on Tatis suspension: pic.twitter.com/dRUQsHfy5a

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) August 12, 2022

In a statement issued by the MLB Players Association, Tatis noted he "inadvertently took a medication to treat ringworm" that contained the banned substance:

The Major League Baseball Players Association issued the following statement on behalf of Fernando Tatis, Jr.: pic.twitter.com/gCNVcs0a5Y

— MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) August 12, 2022

Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Tatis will also be ineligible to play for the Dominican Republic in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

The former All-Star shortstop appeared to be on the brink of making his 2022 debut. He appeared in four games with Double-A San Antonio on a rehab assignment, collecting two hits Aug. 9.

It's unclear when Tatis suffered the wrist injury. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported in December that the 23-year-old suffered "minor scrapes" in an accident in the Dominican Republic.

Dominican reporter Baudilio Jiménez (h/t Dayn Perry of CBS Sports) noted Tatis was driving a motorcycle at the time of the accident and received treatment at a medical facility for minor injuries.

Perry noted Tatis was believed to have resumed baseball activities at the time. The Padres announced March 16 he had surgery with a three-month recovery timetable.

Tatis will have to sit out the final 48 games of the 2022 regular season and first 32 games next season under the suspension. His last appearance in an MLB game was on Oct. 3, 2021, against the San Francisco Giants.

The Padres did add to their lineup before the trade deadline by acquiring Juan Soto and Josh Bell from the Washington Nationals on Aug. 2.

San Diego (63-51) currently leads the Milwaukee Brewers (60-50) by one game for the final wild card in the National League.

The woman who said Trevor Bauer sexually assaulted her has filed a countersuit against the suspended MLB pitcher after he sued her for defamation in April, according to Molly Hensley-Clancy and Gus Garcia-Roberts of the Washington Post.

She said Bauer, 31, choked her to the point of unconsciousness with her own hair and penetrated her anally without consent while she was passed out. In a separate encounter, she said she woke up after being choked to find Bauer punching her between her legs, causing "excruciating pain."

While her countersuit said she consented to the choking, she denied consenting to anal sex or being punched.

The Los Angeles County district attorney's office declined to bring charges against Bauer, citing a lack of sufficient evidence.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Dianna Gould-Saltman also ruled against granting her a permanent restraining order against Bauer, finding that the "injuries as shown in the photographs are terrible" but adding that "if she set limits and he exceeded them, this case would've been clear. But she set limits without considering all the consequences, and respondent did not exceed limits that the petitioner set."

Major League Baseball chose to suspend Bauer for 324 games, or two full seasons, in late April for violating its domestic violence policy. In determining that discipline, MLB also reportedly spoke with other women who said Bauer assaulted them.

He is appealing the suspension.

Bauer's lawsuit against the woman alleges she "wanted to destroy Mr. Bauer's reputation and baseball career, garner attention for herself, and extract millions of dollars from Mr. Bauer."

Her countersuit argues that she suffered "physical injury, severe emotional distress, [and] humiliation" from the alleged sexual assaults.

San Diego Padres outfielder Juan Soto called his final weeks in Washington "uncomfortable" after the Nationals' $440 million contract extension offer was leaked to the media.

"We tried to keep it as private as we can, and this number just came out. ... it was pretty tough," Soto told ESPN. "It was uncomfortable. I was trying to get things private, keep talking and all that kind of stuff, but they just throw that number out there. It feels really uncomfortable. It really shocked me, and it feels really painful."

The Nationals traded Soto and first baseman Josh Bell to the Padres for C.J. Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, Robert Hassell III, James Wood, Jarlin Susana and Luke Voit at the deadline in what's been called one of the largest trade hauls in MLB history.

Soto signed with the Nationals as an international free agent in 2015 at age 16. He quickly worked his way through the organization and made his MLB debut in 2018, bursting onto the scene as an instant-impact superstar.

Equipped with elite power and the best batting eye of his generation, Soto finished in the top 10 in NL MVP voting in each of his first three full seasons in Washington and built a resume that made him a near-lock to become the highest-paid player in baseball history when he hit free agency. The Nationals offered him a historic 15-year, $440 million offer that doubled as the largest guarantee in MLB history and a clear low-ball offer.

"At the end of the day, it is what it is," Soto said. "I was feeling great on that team. I was feeling pretty good. I was trying my best. They let me know about it, early in the year, that it is a business and they would love to get me, but this and that."

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo called the decision to trade Soto "brutal" and said it was "emotional" for him given the relationship he's developed with the outfielder and his family over the years. Soto's younger brother, Elian, is set to sign with the organization when he becomes eligible in January.