Suspended Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. apologizes for 80-game drug ban

Fernando Tatis Jr. apologized privately to his San Diego Padres teammates for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug, then publicly expressed remorse for the 80-game suspension that will keep him off the field well into next season.

"There's no other one to blame than myself," Tatis admitted Tuesday.

"I'm really sorry for my mistakes," he said. "My dreams have turned into my worst nightmares."

"It's going to be a very long process to gain everybody's trust again, to gain that love back that I have stabbed straight to the heart," he said.

Looking and sounding downcast, Tatis spoke in the Padres' dugout while sitting next to general manager A.J. Preller.

"Sorry fans, good baseball fans, and I'm learning. I'm maturing," he said.

"I'm going to remember how this feels and I'm going to make myself never be in this position ever again," said the 23-year-old Tatis, who was dressed in a red polo shirt and jeans.

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Tatis also announced that he will have surgery as soon as possible on his troublesome left shoulder. He resisted getting the surgery in the offseason and then broke his left wrist in a motorcycle accident in his native Dominican Republic in December.

Tatis was suspended 80 games on Aug. 12 after MLB said he tested positive for Clostebol, an anabolic steroid. Tatis originally said he accidentally took a medication to treat ringworm that contained the banned substance.

Asked about the ringworm story, Tatis offered a clarification, saying he had been dealing with a skin infection for some time, took some medication and tested positive soon after.

"I haven't made the right decisions in these past two weeks, month, even the start of the year. I made a