Sports
Padres’ Tatis hits first HR since PED suspension
PHOENIX — Fernando Tatis Jr. hit his first home run since returning from an 80-game drug suspension, driving a fastball into the left-center stands to give the San Diego Padres a 1-0 lead against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night.
It was Tatis’ first homer since 2021. He missed all of last season, first because of a broken left wrist. When he was about to return, he was hit with the 80-game suspension for a positive test for the performance-enhancing substance Clostebol.
Tatis struck out in his second at-bat in the third inning Saturday, then drew a walk and came around to score on Ha-Seong Kim‘s two-run single in the sixth. He lined out to center in the seventh.
Tatis was hitless in his first seven at-bats in his return before a line drive single on Friday night. He followed that on Saturday by driving an 0-2 fastball into the stands, just out of the reach of a leaping Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
Tatis led the National League with 42 homers in 2021.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.