Minor-league pitcher rips 'cheater' Fernando Tatis Jr. after giving up HR during rehab assignment

San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. began a rehab assignment this week as he nears his return from an 80-game performance-enhancing drug suspension. And it seems at least one pitcher wasn't a fan.

We learned as much after Tatis hit the first homer of his rehab assignment during a game Wednesday between the El Paso Chihuahuas, the Padres' Triple-A affiliate, and the Sacramento River Cats, a San Francisco Giants affiliate.

That home run, audibly booed by Sacramento fans, came off pitcher Kade McClure, a 27-year-old minor-leaguer. A San Diego sports anchor reacted to the homer by tweeting the video and implying that giving up such a titanic blast against a player such as Tatis was a big enough honor that McClure would be telling people about it for years.

As it turns out, McClure was eager to tell people about it on Twitter. He just wasn't very happy:

McClure later deleted the tweet.

McClure is in his first year with the Giants after spending six years in the Chicago White Sox's organization after the team drafted him out of Louisville in the sixth round of the 2017 MLB Draft. His tweet is a reminder of just how divisive Tatis figures to be when he gets back to the majors and tries to regain his status as one of baseball's brightest stars.

To many baseball fans (and, apparently, many players), cheating is a binary; you're either a cheater, or you're not. It doesn't matter what excuses Tatis and his father presented — a bad medication to treat a fungal infection from a haircut was their story — and it doesn't matter how many times he apologizes to fans and teammates.

For some fans, Tatis joins an unforgivable group. He can only hope they form a distinct minority as the Padres attempt to be the fun team again, led by Tatis, Juan Soto, Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts. The Padres have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on their roster, including Tatis' 14-year, $340 million extension signed in 2021, and they don't want to lose their luster because of a tainted star who has played 130 games in two years since landing that extension.

Tatis is eligible to return from his suspension April 20. The Padres play a road game against the Arizona Diamondbacks that day, which will provide the first indication of just how hostile road fans are ready to be.