Fernando Tatis Jr. addresses the San Diego media amidst PED suspension

Earlier this afternoon, news that San Diego Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. and President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller would address the media at Petco Park this afternoon.

Kevin Acee, of the San Diego Union Tribune, reported that Tatis met with team Chairman Peter Seidler on Saturday and that he would address his teammates earlier this afternoon, meeting the media with Preller in the team’s dugout at 2:00 p.m. local time.

Tatis opened up by thanking the media for attending and apologized, saying this with a grim look on his face:

“I’m truly sorry…I’m really sorry. I’ve let so many people down…I’ve lost so much love from people…and I have failed. I’ve failed to the front office of the San Diego Padres, Peter Seidler and A.J. Preller, I have failed every fan of this city, I have failed my country, I have failed my family, parents…and I’m really sorry for my mistakes.”

The full quote can be found here:

Tatis also revealed during the presser that he would undergo shoulder survey to repair the subluxation suffered last season and that he would spend the bulk of his off-season in San Diego. Said injury caused him to miss time in a year where he slashed .282/.364/.611 with 42 home runs, 25 stolen bases, and a .975 OPS.

Fernando Tatis Jr. addresses the media amidst PED suspension

Dennis Lin said that Tatis tested positive for Clostebol in June, stating that he had been taking medication for a skin infection.

Tatis said that he received a lot of support and tough love from his teammates, and understands the criticism received from his teammates:

“I have struggled, I have made mistakes, but I’m gonna learn from it”

This was the first time that Tatis, himself, had addressed the media since he received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for Clostebol, a PED banned by Major League Baseball. In the thick of a playoff hunt, the Padres would be without their star shortstop for the rest of this regular season, the playoffs, and the start of next year, too.

Even though he’s missed plenty of time since cracking into the big leagues, Tatis is undeniably one of the game’s greatest talents, and he’s been just that when on the field. It appears that Tatis and the organization are taking the right steps to put this past them moving forward.