The San Diego Padres will have to survive a good chunk of their season without Fernando Tatis Jr. The star outfielder has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right femoral stress reaction.

Tatis didn’t look super graceful on a recent run from first base to home and now is officially diagnosed with a leg injury. He spoke to the media after the Padres' win in the first game of their next series, declining to publicize the return date that the Padres medical staff gave him but saying that he will be out for more than just the 10 days. It sounds likely that he'll be out until after the All-Star Game.

“I have some serious stuff in my leg that could get worse and I definitely don't want that,” Tatis said in his media availability. “I was playing through it and I probably could've kept going but the doctors recommended to heal it now. That way, it doesn't get worse. It's just better that way.”

Nipping this serious issue in the bud is the right move for the Padres with so much of the season left to play. Still, it's tough news to be dealt for a team in the thick of a competitive playoff race.

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Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. placed on 10-day IL with leg injury

Tatis has been really solid in his second full season in right field, posting a slash line of .279/.354/.468, 14 home runs and 36 RBI. His defense and base running haven’t been as elite as usual but he has still been one of San Diego's key players this season. Replacing his production won’t be easy.

The Padres, at 42-41, are well within the NL Wild Card race but don’t face any easy opponents for the rest of their schedule before the All-Star break. The two losing teams they’ll face after this current series against the Nationals are the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks, who are each just below .500 and still have plenty of their stars that helped them get to last year’s World Series. The Padres will also have to face the Seattle Mariners and Atlanta Braves.

The Padres are bringing outfielder Bryce Johnson up to the majors for more depth as Tatis recovers. He and David Peralta will be playing right field as Tatis looks to bounce back quickly. San Diego has numerous other injuries to deal with besides Tatis' leg on top of Xander Bogaerts missing over a month of time now.