Padres GM A.J. Preller criticizes Fernando Tatis Jr.'s maturity after PED suspension

Fernando Tatis Jr. was suspended on Friday for 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug, and San Diego Padres GM A.J. Preller was notably frustrated with his shortstop.

The MLB commissioner’s office announced on Friday that Tatis would be suspended after testing positive for Clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid. The 23-year-old will start serving his suspension right away, meaning that he will not play for the remainder of the 2022 season and the beginning of the 2023 season.

Preller had a pretty brutal comment regarding Tatis’ immaturity while speaking to reporters Friday during the Padres’ game against the Washington Nationals.

“It’s very disappointing,” Preller said, via Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “You have to learn from the situations. We were hoping that from the offseason to now that there would be some maturity, and obviously with the news today, it’s more of a pattern and it’s something that we’ve got to to dig a bit more into.”

The pattern that Preller referred to may include Tatis’ questionable response when talking about what led up to his offseason wrist injury. The injury required surgery and had kept Tatis from playing up to this point.

Tatis Jr. did issue a lengthy apology and explanation for his suspension in a statement through the Major League Baseball Players Association. But Preller was apparently only concerned with Tatis Jr. proving through actions that he has learned from his mistakes.

“I’m sure he’s very disappointed,” Preller said. “But at the end of the day, it’s one thing to say it. You’ve got to start showing by your actions.”

The Padres have invested $340 million in Tatis Jr. through the 2034 season, which could end up looking like a massive overpay if he continues to miss significant amounts of time. Perhaps Preller’s comments will be a wakeup call for the young star.