Padres fans peddling hilarious Fernando Tatis Jr. conspiracy theory with Dodgers doctor

Okay, this is starting to get out of hand. The Fernando Tatis Jr. discourse has officially reached the stage where it brings in the Dodgers. At this point, at least it’s kind of funny. The latest theory making the rounds is that Tatis hasn’t been the same since undergoing left shoulder surgery in 2022. That procedure was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the well-known Los Angeles orthopedic surgeon whose name Padres fans are now treating like a smoking gun because he has also worked with Dodgers players.

That is where this gets wonderfully ridiculous. Yes, Tatis had surgery in Los Angeles and Dr. Neal ElAttrache has obvious Dodgers ties. And now, MLB reportedly plans to question ElAttrache after his name surfaced in the Conor McGregor PED recovery story.

So Padres fans are going to connect dots. That is what fans do when their superstar’s power disappears, the Dodgers are involved, and the internet is sitting right there ready to jump all over this.

Fernando Tatis Jr. conspiracy theory says more about Padres frustration than reality

The reason this theory has any oxygen at all is because of Tatis’s power outage. That’s something no one can talk around.

He entered the league building his entire brand on violence and swagger. So two home runs this deep into the season is a bit jarring. It just feels wrong. 

So the internet does what the internet does. It starts connecting dots. The suspension. The surgery. The shoulder. The Dodgers doctor. The power outage. Suddenly we are one red string board away from blaming a labrum repair for every warning-track fly ball since 2023.

It’s all too easy. And it’s also pretty lazy.

Tatis underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair the torn labrum in his left shoulder in September 2022. That came after shoulder instability had followed him through the 2021 season. It also happened during his PED suspension, which means those two things have basically been welded together in the public conversation.

For a lot of people, that became the dividing line. There was pre-suspension Tatis and post-suspension Tatis. There was pre-surgery Tatis and post-surgery Tatis. There was whatever version of this superstar everyone imagined to be. 

It has been three full seasons since both of those things. At some point, we probably have to stop pretending one event explains everything. This isn’t just about a repaired shoulder. And it’s not just about a suspension. 

Tatis is a different player now. He’s not pulling the ball the same way. The swing still has plenty of life, but the results don’t look like the old Tatis experience. And that’s the real and honest conversation.

The approach and contact profile has changed. Therefore so has the damage.

Here is where we should be fair, even if it hurts some feelings. Tatis is not having a complete disaster of a season. It’s true. He’s getting on base and creating traffic. The Padres have much bigger offensive problems than simply pointing at Tatis and acting like he’s the lone reason the lineup is stuck in the mud.

Still, the conspiracy misses the bigger point. Tatis doesn’t need another permanent explanation pinned to 2022. He just needs to start hitting the ball with authority again. He’s not broken because of a surgery or suspension. He’s just not producing like the version the Padres built so much of their identity around.

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