Fernando Tatis Jr. missed Sunday's game with a quad injury. The San Diego Padres ended up losing to the Milwaukee Brewers by a final score of 6-2. It was a second consecutive missed start for Tatis, who has been dealing with the aforementioned quad injury in addition to a triceps bruise. So is there reason for serious concern?
“It's something we're still evaluating,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said of Tatis' injury, via MLB.com. “We're still making internal decisions, having discussions, including with him and our medical group. We'll have a little more clarity moving forward.”
The Padres seemingly are not sure how serious the issue is at the moment. San Diego will proceed with caution. Tatis has managed to stay healthy for the most part in 2024, playing in a league-leading 80 games as of this story's writing. He has played at an All-Star level during that span as well.
The shortstop-turned-outfielder is currently slashing .279/.354/.468/.821. He has hit 14 home runs and 14 doubles to go along with 36 RBI and eight stolen bases.
Tatis dealt with controversy in 2022 but bounced back in 2023 and finished 14th in National League MVP voting and won a Gold Glove Award. He has the potential to be one of the best players in the sport. It is easy to forget that Tatis is still only 25 years old as well.
The Padres are certainly hopeful that Tatis will be able to avoid a stint on the injured list. If they are going to make a run at the playoffs, they will need Tatis to lead the way.
Padres' mediocre 2024 season despite Fernando Tatis Jr.'s impressive play
The Padres are 41-41 so far in 2024. With just over half of the season completed, this Padres team still seems to be searching for an identity. The chances of San Diego catching up to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West are slim. LA features a star-studded roster and they hold an 8.5-game lead over the second place Padres.
San Diego's most realistic route to the postseason will be via an NL Wild Card spot. If the season were to end today, the Padres would be the third and final Wild Card team in the NL.
However, the season does not end today and they are only a half-game in front of the Washington Nationals in the Wild Card standings. Additionally, the Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Mets trail the Padres by just one game.
In other words, the NL Wild Card race is going to be extremely competitive. Having Fernando Tatis Jr. healthy and on the field will be of the utmost importance down the stretch. The Padres will not rush him back at the moment, as they do not want to risk further injury.
For now, the team is still “evaluating” the issue. The Padres will provide updates soon. Again, San Diego is obviously hopeful that he will not need to be placed on the injured list but there is still too much uncertainty to make any predictions.
We will continue to monitor and provide updates as they are made available.
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