SAN DIEGO — Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. on Tuesday spoke publicly for the first time since he was suspended for a positive PED test.
"I have let so many people down," he said. "I have lost so much love from people. I have failed the front office of the San Diego Padres, I have failed Peter Seidler, I have failed A.J. Preller. I have failed every fan, I have failed my country, I have my family."
Tatis also said he will have surgery to repair the labrum tear in his left shoulder. He had declined to have the surgery this past offseason.
Tatis said his positive test for the banned substance Clostebol occurred in late July. In a statement Aug. 12, the day his 80-game suspension was announced, Tatis said the positive test was due to his using a medication to treat ringworm.
Seated next to Preller, the Padres' president of baseball operations, in the team's dugout at Petco Park, Tatis made an opening statement in which he began, "I'm truly sorry. I am. I am really sorry."
Tatis addressed teammates earlier Tuesday.
His meetings last week with Preller and Padres chairman Seidler, as well as his talking to the team, were considered by many in the organization to be the first steps toward rebuilding trust.
When the suspension was announced, Preller referenced Tatis' offseason motorcycle accident, in which he fractured his wrist, and referred to a pattern of actions that were troubling to the organization.
"He's somebody that from the organization's standpoint we've invested time and money into," Preller said then. "When he's on the field, he's a difference maker. You have to learn from the situations. We were hoping that from the offseason to now that there would be some maturity, and obviously with the news today, it's more of a pattern and it's something that we've got to dig a bit more into. ... I'm sure he's very disappointed. But at the end of the day, it's one thing to say it. You've got to start showing by your actions."
Tatis at times appeared to search for words and gather himself, especially during his opening statement.
"My dreams turned into my worst nightmares," he said. "… There is no other one to blame but myself. I haven't made the right decisions these past few weeks, months, even from the start of the year. I regret every single step. It's a very long way going forward."
He answered questions for more than 20 minutes.
Tatis said he understands the anger and disappointment.
"I'm going to make myself not be in this position ever again," he said. "… The distraction I've been is unacceptable. It's with actions I'm going to start doing. Actions are going to speak for myself in the future. There's going to be a whole new story out there. It starts today."
