Alex Rodriguez kept it real when talking about Padres star Fernando Tatís Jr. -- who received an 80-game suspension for a positive PED test -- saying he wishes young players would "learn from my stupidity" and not make the same mistakes he made as a player.
A-Rod made the comments during the "KayRod" broadcast of "Sunday Night Baseball" ... with the former NY Yankees slugger saying the young shortstop may never see the Hall of Fame after getting popped, and that disappoints him.
"I wish that a lot of these young players who I admire so much would learn from my stupidity and my debacle," Rodriguez said, "And, it almost brings me to tears to see a kid like Tatis who's 23 years old, that for the rest of his career, he's just going to play it out."
"There's probably no Hall of Fame," A-Rod continued, before acknowledging he will likely never make it to Cooperstown, despite deserving to be there, steroids aside.
"I'm not going to go to the Hall of Fame probably because of my own mistake. And that's heartbreaking for me. It's heartbreaking to explain that to my daughters. But that's on me."
A-Rod says he wishes young players like Tatis would learn from his stupidity pic.twitter.com/4AHz98Ifr0
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 15, 2022
As we reported, Tatis Jr. -- one of the best players in the sport -- was suspended 80 games by MLB for testing positive for Clostebol, a performance-enhancing substance.
On Friday, shortly after the suspension was announced, Fernando issued a statement claiming he accidentally ingested the banned substance when taking medication for ringworm.
Rodriguez -- who played 22 seasons in MLB (3x AL MVP, 14x All-Star -- was suspended in 2013 by commissioner Bud Selig for using performance-enhancing drugs and violating the league's drug prevention and treatment program.
A-Rod, the Yanks third baseman at the time, received a 211-game suspension ... which sidelined him for the remainder of the 2013 season and the entire 2014 campaign.
Rodriguez has admitted to taking the PEDs and recognizes his mistake will be inextricably linked to his career, something he didn't want to be the reality for rising superstars like Tatis.
"I have no regrets, no excuses for my behavior," Rodriguez said. "It's on me," A-Rod continued. So, I get to be, now, hopefully, a better friend, a better business partner, [and] more importantly a better father."