Padres hope Tatis brings energy, maturity when PED ban ends
By BERNIE WILSON
AP Sports Writer
SAN DIEGO (AP) — El Niño is coming and it could be quite the storm. On Thursday night at Arizona, Fernando Tatis Jr. will be announced as the leadoff hitter for the San Diego Padres and settle into a big league batter’s box for the first time since the last game of the 2021 season. One of baseball’s most electrifying players will return from an 80-game PED suspension that shocked and angered his teammates and an entire fan base. If a jaw-dropping power display during a rehab stint at Triple-A El Paso is any indication, the Padres will be getting back the player who was an All-Star in 2021.