Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr's failed PED test stemmed from haircut mishap, dad says

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Fernando Tatis Sr. defended his son in a radio interview Monday as the San Diego Padres star was suspended 80 games for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.

Tatis Sr. played in the majors for 11 seasons from 1997 to 2010 and explained in an interview with Z101 Digital’s Hector Gomez his son tested positive for Clostebol after taking medicine to treat a fungus he received after getting a haircut.

"All of this has happened because of something that is not worth this issue," the former major leaguer said. "This is something for the skin, that’s something that’s not performance enhancing and has no testosterone. It has nothing to help you improve in the game."

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Fernando Tatis, #17 of the New York Mets, in the field against the Milwaukee Brewers at Citi Field on April 19, 2009 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.  (Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Tatis Sr. disagreed with the way Major League Baseball and the players’ union handled the suspension.

"I don't think there was reason to destroy the image of a player over something as minor as that," he said, via ESPN. "… This is a catastrophe what has taken place, not just for Jr., but for all of baseball. There are millions of fans who are gonna stop watching baseball now. It's a total disappointment for Dominican fans, fans throughout the world, for something so insignificant that wasn't worth it. 

"It's a topical. What came out positive in Jr.'s body is something that doesn't give you strength, first of all, doesn't amplify your [weight-training] regimen, that's second, doesn't have any testosterone, that's third, doesn't contain absolutely anything that would give you an edge in the game. What has occurred is a catastrophe for baseball."

San Diego Padres Infielder Fernando Tatis Jr., #23, in the dugout during a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers played on September 29, 2021 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. (John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Tatis Jr. said he "inadvertently" took medication to treat ringworm that contained Clostebol.

"I should have used the resources available to me in order to ensure that no banned substances were in what I took. I failed to do so," he said.

He added he was "completely devastated."

Fernando Tatis Jr., #23 of the San Diego Padres, reacts to a called third strike in the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park on September 26, 2021 in San Diego. (Denis Poroy/Getty Images)

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He signed a 13-year, $340 million extension before the 2021 season, which was the third highest at the time. He had not played this season after breaking his wrist in an apparent motorcycle crash in the Dominican Republic.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.