No, the motorcycle accident advertisement that aired during Fernando Tatis Jr.'s at-bat earlier this week was not done intentionally ... TMZ Sports has learned.
Our sources tell us that even though it may have looked like purposeful shade thrown at the Padres star during the game ... it was nothing more than a mere coincidence.
If you missed it, the incident happened during the broadcast of Minnesota's tilt against San Diego on Wednesday ... when Tatis Jr. stepped into the batter's box in the top of the third inning.
No way this was a coincidence pic.twitter.com/0ZBfwMTqIL
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 11, 2023
As he dug in ... an ad flashed across the bottom of the screen, and it read, "Injured in a Motorcycle Accident?" It then provided a number for LawTigers.com, a law firm specializing in motorcycle accident cases.
At the moment, it seemed like some kind of diss on Tatis Jr. ... who had reportedly been injured in a motorcycle accident in his native Dominican Republic in 2021.
But, despite the optics, our broadcast sources are adamant it was all "absolutely unintentional."
One pitch.
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 11, 2023
One home run.
Fernando Tatis Jr. opens the scoring in a HURRY 💥pic.twitter.com/CY356NvCQJ
Tatis Jr. didn't seem bothered by it either way ... he hit a home run in the Padres' next game on Thursday.