Yankees fans greeted Fernando Tatis Jr. with “steroids” chants during the first inning of their game against the Padres on Friday night at the Stadium, but the San Diego star responded five innings later with a two-run home run and a bat flip.
According to videos and reports, Tatis — who received an 80-game PED suspension in 2022 after missing the earlier part of the season with a fractured wrist — dealt with booing fans from his spot in right field as Gleyber Torres led off the bottom of the first inning at Yankee Stadium.
Then, in the sixth inning against Ron Marinaccio, Tatis connected on a first-pitch changeup following a two-out walk and sent the ball 439 feet over the left-field fence.
After he connected with the ball, Tatis watched with the bat in his left hand before switching it to his right hand, and he flipped the bat emphatically toward the Padres dugout.
It’s not the first time Tatis has been booed and heckled for alleged steroid use since his season debut on April 20.
When the Padres traveled to Wrigley Field and faced the Cubs on April 25, Tatis danced in right field as fans chanted, “He’s on steroids.”
Before his wrist injury and suspension, Tatis emerged as one of baseball’s top young players, and he signed a 14-year, $340 million deal in February 2021 while just a 22-year-old shortstop.
With the Padres landing Xander Bogaerts in the offseason, Tatis has shifted to right field for all 30 of his games this season.
The homer against Marinaccio and the Yankees on Friday, giving the Padres a 4-0 lead, was his eighth of the season, and Tatis has hit .258 with a .765 OPS since getting called up from the minors and rejoining San Diego’s lineup.
