Fernando Tatis Jr. rose to the moment and followed it up with a bat flip just as electric as the home run itself. The San Diego Padres star crushed a three-run shot in the fourth inning on Wednesday for the Dominican Republic, stretching their lead to four runs against Venezuela. As DR claimed the Pool D championship 7-5, the San Diego Padres made sure to give him a shoutout by sharing a glimpse of it on their official X account.

But not everyone was ready to join the hype.

Former Boston Red Sox slugger Jeff Frye used the moment to remind fans about Tatis’s controversial past, bringing up the baggage that still follows him.

“That he was suspended for steroids?” Jeff Frye shared via X.

Back in 2022, Fernando Tatis Jr. was handed an 80-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. While MLB said the banned substance was Clostebol, Tatis later explained that he had unknowingly taken a medication for ringworm that contained the substance.

That ultimately kept him from representing the Dominican Republic in the 2023 WBC.

Since then, there haven’t been any further doping accusations against him. Still, many fans noticed a drop in his home-run numbers compared to his peak.

2021 was Tatis’s best season, with 42 HRs. But after his suspension, Tatis was just his past shadow in 2023 when he scored 25 HRs. It went down further to 21 HRs in 2024 and again to 25 HRs in 2025.

While the probable reason behind the surge in his power hitting in 2021 is still a mystery, Frye just left a controversial hint.

This only brings back the Barry Bonds memory. But in 2003, he was accused of being involved with the BALCO (Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative) scandal. He reportedly lied to the jury about using PEDs. Despite having a record 762 career home runs and seven MVP awards, his career has been clouded with such accusations from 1999 onward.

Bonds was denied entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his 10 years on the ballot by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, despite holding the most prestigious MLB record.

Now, just when the Padres are overjoyed getting their slugger back to his best, Frye just brought up a similar question, which could take the conversation ahead. But for the Padres?

They got a few reasons to cheer for.

In this WBC, Tatis is 6-for-13 with two HRs, nine RBIs, and six runs scored till now. Imagine donning the Padres jersey!

Fernando Tatis is also flaunting his leadership skills in the WBC

While the Padres are already into the regular season vibe, Tatis is eyeing a WBC title and making sure the expectations riding on him don’t go unanswered. As the Dominican Republic is facing South Korea in the quarterfinals, Tatis is making sure his clubhouse stays focused and grounded.

And for his part, Tatis seems to be embracing the spotlight while also keeping things stable. Speaking before the quarterfinal, he reminded everyone not to take anything for granted.

“There are no weak opponents here; we can’t be overconfident because this is a very short tournament.”

From the Padres’ perspective, though, there’s already plenty to feel good about.

Because Tatis Jr is flashing the power at the plate again and showing leadership in the clubhouse, two things the team has been hoping to see more consistently.

So whether the Dominican Republic ends up making a deep run in the tournament or not, the Padres might already feel like they’ve gained something valuable.