San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. has been suspended for 80 games after he was found to have used a performance-enhancing substance.
Major League Baseball (MLB, for its acronym in English), confirmed that the sanction will be immediate, according to The Associated Press news agency.
Tatis Jr., 23, will also not be able to play the Baseball World Cup with his country's team, the Dominican Republic.
San Diego Padres player Fernando Tatis Jr. looks on before the Philadelphia Phillies game on Saturday, June 25, 2022, in San Diego, Calif. Daniel Shirey / Getty Images
The athlete assured in a statement that he tested positive for the Clostebol substance by mistake and apologized to the Padres, the MLB and his fans.
"It turns out that I inadvertently took a drug to treat dermatitis that contained Clostebol,"
Tatis said.
"I should have used whatever resources were available to me to make sure there were no banned substances in what I ingested. I didn't," she insisted.
[This has been the journey of the Mexican team in the history of the World Cups]
The suspension makes Tatis one of the most prominent players sanctioned for taking a performance-enhancing substance.
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According to ESPN, the player was on a minor league rehab assignment after missing four months with a left wrist injury.
Tatis is one of the biggest baseball stars in Major League Baseball and has a 14-year, $340 million contract.