Apr 16, 2022; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) in the dugout during the third inning against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

WASHINGTON — When you’re around baseball all the time, it’s easy to not be surprised when things out of the ordinary happen. But as the news of Fernando Tatis Jr.’s positive test for performance-enhancing drugs set in over the weekend, the harder it became to not be shocked.

The San Diego Padres star was suspended 80 games without pay last Friday for testing positive for Clostebol, an anabolic steroid, ending his 2022 season without having played any games for the National League wild-card contender and championship hopeful. Tatis, who had started a rehab assignment from a fractured wrist and was expected to rejoin the club this month, has already started serving the suspension.

Over the last three years, Tatis had become a bona fide superstar as one of the faces of baseball. On a resurgent Padres squad, he helped lead San Diego to its first playoff berth in 14 years in 2020, and he already had two top-five finishes in NL MVP voting, gaining the third-most votes last year after hitting 42 home runs.

But Tatis’ positive test throws cold water on those accolades. And it’s disappointing for the game as a whole.

Over the last seven months, questions about Tatis’ maturity have come up, and they’re warranted after seeing what has continued to transpire since he broke his wrist while riding a motorcycle last December and needing surgery to repair it. By his own admission, it wasn’t the first time he had fallen off a motorcycle, too.

“It’s very disappointing,” Padres president A.J. Preller told reporters last Friday. “He’s somebody that from the organization’s standpoint we’ve invested time and money into. When he’s on the field, he’s a difference maker.

“You have to learn from these 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.”

Said Tatis in a statement: “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. I am completely devastated. There is nowhere else in the world I would rather be than on a field competing with my teammates.”

Teams and its executives don’t normally come out as strongly as the Padres did with Tatis. You don’t need to read between the lines to understand that the organization isn’t pleased with the decisions of their young superstar. And after giving Tatis a 14-year, $340 million extension last year, it’s easy to understand why they’re so upset.

Besides the motorcycle accident, which forced Tatis to miss 114 games prior to his suspension, the positive test, whether intended or not, comes across as another selfish act by the 23-year-old.

Everyone makes mistakes. But as Tatis has learned over the last few days and months, all errors are not created equal. When he fractured his wrist, his teammates had to answer for his absence. And once again with his suspension, they had to answer for his poor judgment.

“He hasn’t been part of our team all year, and we’ve gotten this far without him,” All-Star third baseman Manny Machado said Friday. “We were waiting to get him back and hopefully be a spark plug for the team. But we’ve been doing it all year. Just continue doing it. Same message continues to go since Day One.”

“It stinks, but he hasn’t been with us all year,” All-Star second baseman Jake Cronenworth said. “We’ve got a great team here and a great group of guys.”

“This is the second time we've been disappointed with him,” starter Mike Clevinger said. “You hope he grows up and learns from this and learns that it’s about more than just him right now.”

If Tatis returns and continues to be the standout player he was to begin his career, this situation might end up being forgotten. But regardless of his performance going forward, it’s time for Tatis to start making better decisions. The Padres, who have given him the keys to their franchise, are clearly hoping that maturation happens — starting now.

ATLANTA (AP) — Austin Riley hit a three-run homer off Lance McCullers Jr., Kyle Wright won his 15th game to tie for the NL lead, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Houston Astros 6-2 on Friday night in the teams' first meeting since last year's World Series. The defending champion

DETROIT (AP) — Patrick Sandoval pitched a four-hitter for his first career shutout, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Detroit Tigers 1-0 Friday night on Jared Walsh's second-inning homer. Sandoval (4-8) threw 97 pitches, struck out nine, walked none and didn't allow a runner past first base as the

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Chicago White Sox signed Elvis Andrus for the remainder of the season on Friday, adding a veteran shortstop with All-Star Tim Anderson sidelined by a finger injury. Andrus, who turns 34 next week, recently cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Oakland Athletics. Andrus

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