Mike Clevinger, Manny Machado critical of Fernando Tatis Jr. over PED ban

Fernando Tatis Jr. may have to win back the trust and respect of a few of his more prominent San Diego Padres teammates after the 23-year-old was suspended for using performance-enhancing drugs.

The MLB commissioner’s office announced on Friday that Tatis would be suspended after testing positive for Clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid. His suspension will last through the remainder of the 2022 season and into part of the 2023 campaign.

After the Padres’ 10-5 win against the Washington Nationals on Friday, starting pitcher Mike Clevinger called out Tatis’ lack of maturity this season.

“This is the second time we’ve been very disappointed with him,” Clevinger told reporters. “You hope he grows up and learns from this and learns that it’s about more than just him right now. It would be nice to have somebody else, but we don’t need anybody else. We’ve got everyone we need right here.”

Third baseman and potential National League MVP Manny Machado echoed similar sentiments about how the Padres would be fine without Tatis.

“He hasn’t been part of the team all year,” Machado said. “We’ve gotten to this point so far without him. We were waiting to get him back and hopefully be a spark plug for the team.”