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 in the first inning of the San Diego Padres‘ 5-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night.

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.

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, who finished 1-for-5 on Saturday, also drew a walk and came around to score on Ha-Seong Kim’s two-run single in the sixth. He is just 2-for-13 at the plate in his first three games this season, but the homer was a big step.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve done that in the big leagues,” said Tatis, who led the National League with 42 homers in 2021. “I’m glad I got it out of the way.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.