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(New York, NY) — Fernando Tatis Jr. said he expects plenty of backlash from opposing players because of his positive test last season for performance-enhancing drugs. The Padres phenom got an early glimpse Wednesday night during a minor league game.
Tatis launched a solo home run Wednesday during his second game with Triple-A El Paso, off of San Francisco Giants pitcher Kade McClure, who seemingly isn’t a fan of the 23-year-old.
A reporter for NBC San Diego tweeted a video of the bomb, saying: “Kade McClure will be telling people for years about the time he gave up an absolute nuke to Fernando Tatis Jr.”
McClure doesn’t see it that way, though.
“Cheater hits a homerun on a rehab assignment during a steroid suspension,” McClure quote-tweeted the original post.
McClure, 27, is in his first season with Giants Triple-A affiliate. He was not listed as one of the teams top prospects in 2023 by Baseball Pipeline. The right-hander appeared in 44 games at Triple-A Charlotte last season, in the Chicago White Sox organization.
The crowd could be heard booing Tatis as he took his signature pause before rounding third base.
“It’s going to be one of the most emotional years, I feel like, in my career,” Tatis said of potentially being booed on the road, per ESPN. “I’m looking to embrace it.”
Tatis was suspended by Major League Baseball on August 12, 2022, claiming he had “inadvertently” taken medication, in order to treat ringworm, that contained Clostebol, which is a banned substance.
He will be eligible to return to San Diego on April 20, the first game of a four-game tilt against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
