On Thursday April 20, Fernando Tatis Jr. will be able to rejoin the San Diego Padres after having a wrist injury and performance-enhancing drug use suspension last season.

Throughout the past couple of years, Tatis Jr. has played a huge role for the Padres so fans are eager to watch him play on the field this season. Not only is he a superstar for the Padres, but is one of the best shortstops in Major League Baseball (MLB) history.

In 2020, Tatis Jr. received the Silver Slugger Award for his performance on the field as he led the Padres to the National League Division Series against the Saint Louis Cardinals. He had a .277 Batting Average along with a .366 On Base Percentage while leading the Padres with 11 Stolen Bases. Tatis Jr. was also ranked number four in (MLB) with 17 home runs throughout the season.

During the 2021 season, Tatis Jr. was nominated in his first MLB All-Star game along with his teammate Jake Cronenworth. Tatis Jr. had quite the season with the Padres having an .677 Slugging Percentage and .975 On-Base plus Slugging Percentage. He also lead the (MLB) yet again with 42 home runs.

According to Columbia Broadcasting System sports writer Dayn Perry, “ San Diego Padres star shortstop Fernando Tatis suffered “minor scrapes” in an accident on Sunday in his native Dominican Republic.”

As a result from his suspension, the National Broadcasting Company sports writer Sanjesh Singh wrote, “The Commissioner of Baseball announced today that SD Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. has received an 80-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Clostebol, a PED substance in violation of MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.”

After receiving his suspension, his teammates had mixed feelings whether they wanted to support him despite his actions off the field. In an article written by Major League Baseball sports writer, Joe Tereza, “He hasn’t been part of our team all year, and we’ve gotten this far without him,” Machado said. “We were waiting to get him back and hopefully be a spark plug for the team.”

Sports writer Tom Krasovic from The San Diego Union Tribune wrote, “Suspending Tatis was the last thing MLB wanted to do. He made baseball look youthful, edgy and fun, in part because the league had been marketing him for two years and most especially to young people.”

Krasovic also noted “No doubt the suspension stung Tatis. He said he agonized as he watched the 2022 Padres drive to the postseason without him. He said he let the team and fans down, though he maintained that his lone offense was not knowing that a cream he used to treat ringworm contained the banned performance-enhancing substance.”

Although Tatis Jr. didn’t play last year, nothing has stopped him from hitting the ball. According to Sports Illustrated sports writer Daniel Chavkin wrote, “In his past two games, Tatis has collected eight consecutive hits, including five home runs. He also has produced 11 RBIs and 25 total bases in those games against the Albuquerque Isotopes and now has six total home runs in seven minor league games this year.”

Throughout his career, he has inspired youth baseball players to follow their dreams and strive to be the best player on the field.

For more information on Tatis Jr.’s return to the Padres, check out these articles:

https://www.mlb.com/padres/news/fernando-tatis-jr-to-make-padres-return

https://theathletic.com/4427707/2023/04/19/fernando-tatis-jr-padres-return/