Padres chairman Seidler on Tatis: ‘I believe in him’
PHOENIX — Fernando Tatis Jr. met with his boss, San Diego Padres chairman Peter Seidler, about a week after drawing his steroid-related, industry-rattling suspension. It started off poorly — and Seidler interpreted that as a positive sign.
“I could see in his body language how bad he felt,” Seidler told ESPN in a sit-down interview on Thursday. “Some humans, when this happens, they don’t feel bad. They feel like they’re the victim in some way. Fernando owned it. He felt bad because he knew he let people down. And when we started talking — he loosened up at some points — we talked about how, ‘This is a big one, but people bounce back from these things.’ And I knew he would. I told him that. It was too fresh for him to really form a ton of thoughts, but I could see it. He knew what had happened. And he was going to figure out the best path forward.”
Seidler watched Tatis’ highly anticipated return to baseball up close on Thursday night, while seated directly behind the Padres’ first-base dugout from Chase Field in Phoenix.
Two years earlier, in February of 2021, Seidler rewarded Tatis with a 14-year, $340 million extension, an unprecedented number for someone who at that time was only a month removed from his 22nd birthday. It was widely hailed as a “statue contract,” a clear indication of the space Tatis promised to occupy within the organization’s history. The news conference to celebrate it began with Seidler saying, “It’s a rare chance to wake up the next day after we agreed to the contract and there’s no doubt in your mind.”
The following year provided plenty of reasons to doubt, first with the wrist injury that was caused by an offseason motorcycle accident, then by the positive test for an anabolic steroid just as Tatis was making his return in August, circumstances that forced him to miss all of 2022 and the first 20 games of 2023.
Seidler stressed that he was never angry.
“I think just for me, things like this don’t make me mad,” Seidler said. “People make their own choices in life. I work in a lot of different areas, and men in their 20s tend to make a mistake or two. I haven’t met one who hasn’t — including myself, of course.”
In their initial meeting, Seidler and Tatis spoke about repairing relationships with his teammates, the fans and the front office. They acknowledged the length of that process and talked about taking it one step at a time.
“I was just honest with him,” Seidler said. “And I think vice versa.”
Speaking Thursday, on a night when Tatis ultimately went 0-for-5 but also turned in an acrobatic catch in his new position of right field, Seidler praised Tatis for completing the necessary steps over the course of these past eight months. He addressed his teammates in a players-only meeting, during which he was widely described as being authentic and remorseful. He underwent two critical surgeries — the left shoulder procedure the Padres recommended a year earlier, to address the subluxations that plagued his 2021 season, and a second cleanup of the injured left wrist that robbed him of the first five months of 2022 — and engaged in more open dialogue with the Padres’ front office over the ensuing offseason.
Tatis returned to San Diego for baseball activities in early January, was among the first to arrive at the Padres’ spring training complex the following month and took to the outfield with noticeable vigor, despite harboring aspirations of someday returning to shortstop. It was enough to make Seidler believe Tatis, now 24, was navigating the right path.
“He’s a good dude,” Seidler said of Tatis. “He’s respectful, he’s likable, he cares about people, he loves San Diego. And for him to have let down the people of San Diego, it really hurt him. As it should have. He made a serious and regrettable mistake. Look, we’re all human. We make mistakes. A lot of times it’s if and how you bounce back. You know, he quietly, when nobody was looking, did a lot of things under the radar — getting the first surgery and then the second surgery were big, getting his body ready, getting his mind ready.
“These are things that, on a gut level, I thought he would do. But you never know. He’d never been through something like this before. And for me, fast-forward to tonight — it’s the culmination of a lot of work, a lot of soul-searching, a lot of listening to the people that he does trust and getting good feedback.”
Tatis accumulated 81 home runs, 52 stolen bases, a .965 OPS and 13.6 FanGraphs wins above replacement during his 273 career games from 2019 to 2021. He scored major sponsorship deals with Adidas and Gatorade, graced the cover of the popular video game “MLB: The Show” and was widely considered the next face of baseball. It all collapsed quickly, as a result of his own choices. But Seidler said he is “very optimistic about what’s ahead” for Tatis.
“I trust him,” he added. “I believe in him.”
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Andrea Adelson
Florida State freshman linebacker Ethan Pritchard was released from the hospital Thursday, nearly six weeks after he was shot in the back of the head while driving his aunt home.
In a statement, Florida State said Pritchard is alert, responsive and able to communicate. He is being moved from Tallahassee Memorial Hospital to Brooks Rehabilitation in Jacksonville for the next stage in his recovery.
On a video posted to Instagram Stories by quarterback Tommy Castellanos, the entire FSU team cheered Pritchard as he was wheeled on a stretcher out of the hospital for the trip to Jacksonville.
“We are thankful for the efforts, thoughts and prayers of so many people and ask that you continue to support Ethan and his family as this process continues,” the school said in a statement.
Pritchard was shot Aug. 31 in what the authorities have described as a case of mistaken identity. He was dropping his aunt and a child off following a family party in Havana, Florida, about 16 miles from Tallahassee, near the Georgia state line.
Four people were arrested last month in connection with the shooting.
“I am so thankful for everyone who has prayed for my son,” said Earl Pritchard, Ethan’s father. “There have been a lot of ups and downs over these last 39 days, and it is remarkable that Ethan and I were able to leave the hospital together today.”
Earl Pritchard also thanked Florida State coach Mike Norvell for checking in every day and being a constant presence in the hospital.
“His players and staff have continued to make us feel part of the team,” Earl Pritchard said. “I can’t fully express how much those moments have meant to me and Ethan.”
Earl Pritchard also thanked the hospital and Florida State sports medicine staffs as well as the staff at Seminole High in Sanford, Florida, where Ethan played, for the support.
“I also want to thank Gadsden County Sheriff Morris Young and the FDLE for their hard work and dedication to pursuing justice for Ethan,” Earl Pritchard said. “My heart is filled with gratitude for the outpouring of support for so many people, and I’m so appreciative for every single one of you.
“Ethan has a long journey ahead of him, but I know he will continue to fight and he will do so with the full support of our FSU and Seminole County families and all who have been impacted by his story.”
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Alden Gonzalez
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers removed high-earning reliever Tanner Scott from their National League Division Series roster on Thursday and replaced him with fellow left-hander Justin Wrobleski, a move that makes Scott ineligible for the next round.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed after Wednesday’s 8-2 loss in Game 3 that Scott was unavailable, a big reason why Clayton Kershaw was forced to come back out for what became a five-run eighth inning by the Philadelphia Phillies. Scott underwent what Roberts described as a lower-body abscess incision on Wednesday night.
“Minor procedure,” Roberts said before Thursday’s Game 4. “I don’t know a whole lot about it, to be quite honest with you, but I do know that he’s recovering well.”
The Dodgers signed Scott to a four-year, $72 million contract over the offseason, but his first year in L.A. has been a massive struggle. Scott, 31, posted a 4.74 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP while allowing 11 home runs in 2025, the same amount he allowed over the previous three years combined. By the time the postseason rolled around, Scott had fallen out of favor. Roberts did not utilize him in any of the first four playoff games.
Scott started to show signs of an issue during Tuesday’s workout in L.A., Roberts said, though he added: “I don’t think we knew exactly the extent of it.” He described Scott’s procedure on Wednesday as “an “urgent matter.” The hope is Scott can still contribute, in some way, to the Dodgers’ playoff run.
“I still feel that the World Series, if we’re fortunate enough to get there, earn our way there, then he’ll be available,” Roberts added.
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