“I wasn’t angry” - Alex Rodriguez says Fernando Tatis Jr.'s PED incident left him heartbroken; Yankee great is hopeful youngster will learn from his mistakes

San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. has been suspended for 80 games. He tested positive for Clostebol (a performance-enhancing substance). Therefore, he violated the MLB's PED policy.

The news didn’t go over well with former Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, who told Michael Kay that he was “heartbroken,” during ESPN’s broadcast of the Yankees-Boston Red Sox game. Alex Rodriguez said:

“I wasn’t angry. I was heartbroken because ... to make a mistake at 22 or 23 years old, that’s going to affect you for maybe 60 years.” – Alex Rodriguez

A-Rod also revealed that he committed the same mistake and violated the MLB’s policy when he was in his 30s.

“I made that mistake. I was more in my late 30s, and it was out of desperation to get back on the field and play. I was hoping a lot of these young kids learn from my debacle and my mistakes. I have gone to the lowest ground, have gone to ground zero.” – Alex Rodriguez

Alex Rodriguez on Tatis getting suspended: “I was hoping that a lot of these young kids learned from my debacle and my mistakes” When asked if he’ll reach out to Fernando, he said he won’t but that he’s always available. His reaction to the news: “I was heartbroken..” – Talking Friars

Rodriguez faced suspension for the PED scandal back in 2014.

Alex Rodriguez’s doping scandal

Rodriguez was linked to the 2013 biogenesis scandal, in which athletes were thought to have received performance-enhancing drugs from the Florida-based health center.

The league first imposed a 211-game ban on the top Yankees player, which included both the regular season and postseason in 2014.

After Alex Rodriguez and his team filed an appeal, the suspension was later lowered to 162 games.

Tatis Jr. gave a statement and said that he’s “devastated” after the incident.

“I have taken countless drug tests throughout my professional career, including on March 29, 2022, all of which have returned negative results until this test. I am completely devastated. There is nowhere in the world I would rather be than on the field competing with my teammates. I look forward to rejoining my teammates on the field in 2023.”

In February of last year, Tatis Jr. agreed to a $340-million, 14-year deal with the Padres. Tatis Jr.’s father spoke about the suspension and said that his son is guilty of something unknown.

Fernando Tatis Sr: "It was a mistake that could have been handled differently, destroy the image of a player for such a small thing, for a situation like this. Is a catastrophe not just for Tatis Jr, but for all baseball. There’s millions of fans that will stop watching baseball" – Hector Gomez

Tatis Jr.’s debut was already postponed indefinitely after wrist surgery to treat an ailment that might have been caused by a motorcycle accident.

Atlanta Braves v San Diego Padres

Tatis Jr. will miss the rest of the 2022 season and the beginning of the 2023 season due to his 80-game suspension.