What did Eduardo Perez say to Fernando Tatis Jr.? ESPN announcer under fire after unnecessary jab

ESPN baseball announcer Eduardo Perez recently came under fire for his unnecessary jab at Fernando Tatis Jr. The incident took place during the San Diego Padres-Los Angeles Dodgers game on Sunday night.

During the game, the ESPN announcer decided to compare Fernando Tatis Jr. and Mookie Betts. Mookie Betts' heroics in the game helped the Los Angeles Dodgers tie the game during the ninth inning and call for extra innings. This resulted in Eduardo Perez making a controversial comment. He said:

"That's what a superstar looks like, Nando."

It seemed like Perez was trying to inspire Tatis Jr. into following in the footsteps of Mookie Betts as Tatis Jr. looked expressionless in the outfield after the incident. The San Diego Padres ultimately lost the game 5-2.

Fernando Tatis Jr. was once one of the brightest talents in the world of baseball until his career met some issues including accusations of violating MLB's performance enhancement-drug policy. The violation resulted in an 80-game ban. Prior to the ban, he was out with a shoulder injury. The two incidents meant Tatis Jr. had to miss the entire 2022 season.

Baseball fans have since lambasted Perez on Twitter for his comments while accusing him of racism toward Tatis Jr. Perhaps, Eduardo Perez should not have made such a comment after all.

Fernando Tatis Jr.'s MLB career

Fernando Tatis Jr. in Arizona Diamondbacks v San Diego Padres game

Tatis Jr. made his debut for the San Diego Padres in 2019, won the Silver Slugger Award in 2020 and was named an All-Star in 2021. His career seemed poised for greatness until it stopped due to some turmoil regarding drugs and a shoulder injury. He is still young and has enough time to make a strong comeback on the field.

Tatis Jr. has a batting average of .292 with 85 home runs and 205 runs batted in. He is expected to learn from his past experiences and stay drug-free for the rest of his career.