SAN DIEGO — Padres President of Baseball Operations AJ Preller met with Fernando Tatis Jr. Thursday, sources said. This was the first time the two spoke face-to-face since the star shortstop received his 80-game suspension last week.
Details of this meeting, which took place outside of Petco Park, were kept secret. Tatis is expected to meet with other members of the organization in the coming days.
Tatis received his ban after testing positive for clostebol, a performance-enhancing substance that violates Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. In a statement last week, Tatis said he accidentally ingested a drug used to treat tinea that contained the banned substance, and he apologized to his team-mates, fans and the organization.
Preller recently accompanied the team on their road trip through Miami and Washington. Thursday’s game against the Nationals was the Padres’ first in San Diego since news of Tatis’ suspension broke.
It remains unclear how and when Tatis could officially address his teammates. Left fielder Jurickson Profar has encouraged Tatis to come to the ballpark and speak to the team in the hours leading up to an upcoming game. Profar, one of Tatis’ closest friends, says he has been in regular contact with Tatis since the suspension was announced.
“He’s devastated,” Profar said.
Profar added: “I talk to him every day and he is very bad. Everyone talks bad, but that’s the way of the world. You make a mistake and everyone wants to crucify you. But not me. I’m there to support him and get him through this and get him back on the field whenever he’s eligible to come back.”
Tatis will miss the rest of the season and any games the Padres play in the post-season due to the ban. He may not return until next season and there are a number of questions that need to be answered in the meantime – namely: what are the next steps for Tatis?
At some point, Tatis will rejoin the team, likely at next spring training. Tatis would be eligible to attend camp next spring before serving out the remaining games due to his suspension earlier in the season.
“I don’t know,” Profar said when asked how the team would react to Tatis’ return. “For me, I will welcome him with open arms.”
Right-hander Joe Musgrove was quick to note that the 2022 Padres have “moved on” from the news and their focus is squarely on the National League playoff race. As for the eventual return of Tatis?
“A lot of things will determine that before then,” Musgrove said. “But he is still our teammate. He will be in our clubhouse. We have to find a way to get on the same page and get over it. I don’t know what that looks like yet, but as time goes by it will become a little bit clearer.”