San Diego Padres dynamo Fernando Tatis Jr, one of the brightest, freshest stars in all of Major League Baseball, was suspended 80 games on Friday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance and won’t play this season.
MLB said Tatis tested positive for Clostebol, an anabolic steroid. Tatis said he accidentally took a medication to treat ringworm that contained the banned substance.
The penalty imposed by MLB was effective immediately, meaning the All-Star shortstop – who had been out the entire season because of a broken wrist but was expected to return to the playoff contenders next week – cannot play in the majors until next year.
Tatis will miss the remaining 48 regular-season games this year. Any postseason games the Padres play would count toward the 80 that Tatis must sit out, and he’ll serve the rest of the suspension at the start of next season. “Shocked everybody,” Padres star Manny Machado said after a 10-5 win over Washington.