‘Steroids’: Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr gets complete Yankee Stadium treatment

San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr.received the full Yankee Stadium treatment on Friday. 

The shortstop-turned-outfielder, who was suspended for PEDs in the second-half of 2022 and to open the 2023 season,

received “steroid” chants from Yankees fans on Friday night, video per Talkin’ Baseball.

Fernando Tatis Jr understood prior to the season that he was going to receive treatment like this from fans on the road. He even admitted that he was planning to embrace it.

“You can’t be loved everywhere,” Tatis Jr said previously, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. “I’m definitely going to look forward to those boos and to the applause.”

Tatis Jr emerged as one of the best players in baseball during the 2021 season. 

He was forced to miss the beginning of the 2022 campaign due to injury, but was expected to make a second-half return for a Padres ball club with legitimate playoff aspirations.

San Diego still ended up reaching the postseason, but they did so without Tatis Jr following his PED-related suspension.

Since returning in mid-April of 2023, Tatis Jr has appeared in 30 games. 

He came into Friday’s affair versus the Yankees slashing .258/.304/.461 with a .765 OPS and seven home runs.

His numbers certainly don’t jump off the page, but they aren’t terrible considering he hadn’t played in an MLB game since 2021 prior to this season. Rust was to be expected.

Fernando Tatis Jr and the Padres are trying to get back on track soon though. 

San Diego entered Friday with an underwhelming 23-27 record. The team still plans on making a playoff run, but the early results have been less-than-stellar.

NEXT STORY

Top 5 Biggest College Football Stadiums