:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71238384/usa_today_18596161.0.jpg "Fernando Tatis Jr. suspension: How SS being out impacts Padres, MLB playoff race, World Series odds")
The baseball world was rocked by the Friday night news that San Diego Padres star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. had violated the MLB's performance-enhancing drug policy and will be suspended for a total of 80 games.
The slugger had been sidelined since March with a fractured left wrist and was working his way back to the ballclub. He began his rehab assignment with Double-A San Antonio last weekend and was projected to make his season debut with the major league squad by the end of the month. With the suspension making him ineligible for the postseason, we will now have to wait until the 2023 season to see Tatis in a Padres uniform.
This has major ramifications for San Diego in the immediate future as hopes of the prized shortstop returning in time for a postseason run have now been dashed. The team is currently right in the thick of the NL Wild Card race and there was hope that the trio of Tatis, Manny Machado, and the recently acquired Juan Soto would be enough to elevate the team from a simple playoff contender into a World Series threat. Now they will have to stay the course with what they currently have as fans will have to wait until next summer to see the “Big 3” in action.
The Padres had +1400 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook to win the World Series prior to the suspension. That number will most likely change.