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Padres ready to win without Tatis: 'We got everyone we need right here'

Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The San Diego Padres were stunned to hear about Fernando Tatis Jr.'s positive drug test, but they're not ready to let it derail their season. In fact, the players are still confident about their chances at October glory.

"Look at this clubhouse," pitcher Mike Clevinger said, according to Dennis Lin of The Athletic. "We really don't need anybody else. It would be nice to have somebody else, but we don't need anybody else. We got everyone we need right here."

Tatis received an 80-game suspension Friday after testing positive for the synthetic steroid clostebol. He accepted the ban without an appeal and said he accidentally used a medication to treat ringworm that contained the banned substance. Padres manager Bob Melvin said Tatis was "remorseful" during their conversation earlier Saturday, according to Joe Trezza of MLB.com.

The suspension ends Tatis' 2022 season before it had even started. The 23-year-old hadn't played this year due to a wrist injury sustained in an offseason motorcycle accident and was on a rehab assignment when the ban was announced. His suspension will cover any potential Padres playoff games, as well as a portion of next season.

Despite missing their franchise player all year, the Padres have had a largely successful season. They continue to hold the final NL wild-card spot, entering Saturday two games up on the Milwaukee Brewers. Manny Machado's still producing an MVP-caliber season, while star deadline acquisitions Juan Soto and Josh Bell add more power to an already potent lineup.

A healthy Tatis would be a difference-maker, but his teammates believe they know how to win without him and can still produce a special season.

"He hasn't been part of our team all year, and we've gotten this far without him," Machado said, according to Trezza. "We were waiting to get him back and hopefully be a spark plug for the team. But we've been doing it all year. Just continue doing it. Same message continues to go since Day 1. … Continue to believe in the guys that we have here."

"It stinks, but he hasn't been with us all year," infielder Jake Cronenworth added. "We've got a great team here and a great group of guys … a really talented team."

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