San Diego Padres’s Tatis Jr. Injury Update: To undergo long due surgery during suspension

The San Diego Padres star spoke to the press for the very first time on Tuesday following his 80-game suspension for a failed test for the MLB-banned performance-enhancing drug Clostebol. Tatis apologized and accepted responsibility for his “mistakes.” 

He explicitly apologized to Padres owner Peter Seidler and baseball operations chief A.J. Preller, among others. In a players-only meeting, Tatis also expressed his regret to his teammates; starting pitcher Joe Musgrove noted that there was “some tough love” present. 

Tatis apologized to Padres fans, baseball fans, and his family in his first public speech since his suspension on Tuesday. “Nobody else is to responsible but me. I was mistaken “stated him. 

“Really, I’m sorry. I’ve disappointed so many people. I’ve suffered such a loss of love from others. I am a failure “Tatis went on. “I’m going to keep in mind how this makes me feel, and I won’t ever put myself in a similar circumstance again. I am aware that I need to rebuild a lot of love. It will take a very long time because I have a lot of tasks to complete. I’m growing and learning.

“Tatis will miss the remainder of the regular season, this year’s postseason, and the opening few weeks of the 2023 campaign due to the suspension. The 23-year-old Tatis, who is covered by the $340 million extension inked before the 2021 season and is under agreement until 2034, is one of the few, if any, PED punishments that has been as surprising and costly to the player’s team. 

Tatis allegedly informed the media that he began using Clostebol in June as part of a treatment regimen for a skin illness and continued to do so up to his positive test in late July. In order to prevent this specific circumstance, it appears that he did not consult with the Padres’ team doctors before taking the prescription.

At least Tatis’s announcement that he will have shoulder surgery to fix his labrum as he waits to play again provided some consolation for the Padres. He allegedly stated that he anticipates being perfectly well when the suspension is over. 

The condition of the shortstop’s shoulder was one of the Padres’ main concerns prior to the PED suspension and several motorbike accidents, so this is good news for them. Tatis has had shoulder problems since he was a minor league player, but they came to light last season when Tatis experienced five shoulder pop-outs between spring training and the regular season, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Nevertheless, Tatis decided against having surgery.

Tatis is having surgery right now, probably to the relief of the Padres, with a bit extra time to recover, thanks to the suspension. Tatis could have had a catastrophic shoulder injury upon returning from his suspension in 2023, forcing him to miss two of the three seasons in which San Diego had Juan Soto under contract. Had he not done so, there was a pretty obvious nightmare scenario for the franchise.

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