As the San Diego Padres have been cruising as of late in the tightly contested NL West, they may soon see Fernando Tatis Jr. make his long-awaited return to the lineup.
According to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, Tatis is projected to be back in action by late June, which could see him receive crucial at-bats ahead of the All-Star break.
Tatis has not featured for the Padres this season after sustaining a broken wrist injury in the offseason. This came as the versatile shortstop suffered minor injuries from a motorcycle crash in the Dominican Republic back in December.
Tatis initially noted that he had perceived the wrist injury as one that was “something we could work through” as he “always” plays with pain. Still, he opted to undergo surgery on March 16 to repair the scaphoid bone in his left wrist.
The Padres have maintained a conservative stance in Tatis’ injury rehab. The one-time All-Star has been taking part in running activities and is working on his defense out at the team’s complex in Arizona. While he has been throwing the ball, San Diego has yet to provide him with the green light to begin to swing the bat.
In Tatis’ absence this season, the Padres have called upon Ha-Seong Kim and coveted prospect C.J. Abrams to slot into the shortstop position, although the latter was sent down to Triple-A earlier this month. The two have so far combined for five home runs and 21 RBI.
Tatis capped off his 2021 season with career highs across the board, including in home runs (42) and OPS (.975).
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