Baseball fans debate as Fernando Tatis Jr. makes his long-anticipated MLB return: "Doing steroids isn’t cool, but Fernando Tatis Jr. sure is"
For the first time in 564 days, Fernando Tatis Jr. stepped to the plate for a major-league ballgame. The former prospective face of baseball, Tatis has not played since the end of the 2021 season due to injury and suspension.
His return to the lineup in the San Diego Padres series opener at the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday was an expected mix of celebration and derision, as baseball fans remain quite opposed on their respective feelings regarding the superstar talent.
Tatis returns to a mix of cheers and boos https://t.co/88qGjiOyOF
A lot has changed since Fernando Tatis Jr. last played in a Padres uniform. San Diego has flipped its script from a sub-.500 team to a World Series contender. Tatis missed out on the entirety of the Padres' 2022 season in which the team marched through the first two rounds of the NL playoffs before losing the championship series to the Philadelphia Phillies.
@TalkinBaseball_ Kinda what we all expected
The cheers drowned out the boos in Fernando Tatis Jr.'s return https://t.co/MzYDAFKYXj
Quick takeaway from tonight: Doing steroids isn't cool, but Fernando Tatis Jr. sure is.
An offseason motorcycle accident kept Tatis off the field for much of the 2022 season. Then, just before he was about to return in August, MLB handed down the PED suspension and ended his year early. Many fans have not, and will never forgive Tatis for the transgression.
@TalkinBaseball_ If you cheer for Cheatis you would’ve cheered for Hitler too
The most undeserved hype of all time twitter.com/TalkinBaseball…
@TalkinBaseball_ Why are we celebrating the return of a PED user???
Fernando Tatis Jr. was well on his way to becoming one of the main poster kids of MLB after a stellar first three major league seasons. He finished third in the 2019 National League Rookie of the Year balloting, fourth in the 2020 NL MVP vote, and third in the 2021 MVP race.
Over three seasons, he logged a .292 batting average with a .965 WHIP. He led the NL with 42 home runs in 2021 and made his first All-Star Game appearance.
In addition to his on-field talent, Tatis became the face of a new generation of baseball players for which the "old school" rules of the game did not apply. He brought flair to the game, and his celebrations were rarely tempered.
@TalkinBaseball_ Real baseball fans don’t boo the face of baseball
My fav player 🥹 twitter.com/talkinbaseball…
@TalkinBaseball_ All the weak minded clowns crying 😂
Despite everything Tatis has done, the PED suspension will hang over his head for a long time to come. It may never go away.
@TalkinBaseball_ so tatis is praised when he comes back from cheating but bonds cant make the HOF? seems odd
Fernando Tatis Jr. struck out in his first at-bat
Fernando Tatis Jr. didn't manage any heroics in his first at-bat, striking out against Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson. However, for a Padres team that has yet to live up to expectations this season, San Diego is hoping that its superstar's return is the needed spark to get the squad going.