Bob Melvin, the manager of the San Diego Padres, called star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. on the phone on Saturday and later assured that the player “feels sorry.”
Melvin did not reveal more about his “private conversation” with Tatis, the dynamic player who was suspended 80 games by Major League Baseball the day before, after testing positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol.
The penalty was announced shortly before Friday’s game, in which San Diego beat the Washington Nationals 10-5.
Melvin, who is in his first year with the Padres, said he didn’t feel the need to discuss Tatis’s suspension with other players before Saturday’s game, also at Nationals Park.
Asked by a reporter if he wanted Tatis to talk to his teammates about what happened, Melvin replied, “I don’t know where or when that could happen, so I’m not sure right now.”
Other Padres players were critical in their comments after Friday’s game, including pitcher Mike Clevinger, who said he was “disappointed” but hoped the shortstop realized “there’s more to think about than him now.” .
Tatis, a talented hitter and fielder, led the NL with 42 home runs last season. Along with his compatriot, third baseman Manny Machado, he gave the Padres a fearsome mid-order hit.
He hasn’t played a game in 2022, though, after fracturing his left wrist during the offseason after last season — apparently from a motorcycle accident in his native Dominican Republic.
Tatis had surgery in mid-March and was preparing to return to the Padres soon to help them pursue a wild-card berth in the NL playoffs.
San Diego began Saturday’s meeting with Washington with a 64-51 record.