Tatis suffered the injury during the lockout
San Diego Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. suffered a fractured wrist at some point during the off-season and could be out for three months, GM A.J. Preller told reporters, including Dennis Lin of The Athletic, on Monday. Surgery may be required. The three-month deadline will put Tatis on a comeback track in mid-June.
"Nothing crazy, I just thought it was something we could work through," Tatis told reporters, including MLB.com's AJ Caswell, of the injury. He said it was first revealed about a month ago, although it may be the date of his December motorcycle accident. Tatis clarified whether a decision has been taken on whether to have the surgery or not.
Players and teams were not allowed to communicate during the lockdown, so clubs were not alerted of any injuries during the off-season until the work stoppage ended. It will be the third time in three 162-game seasons that he has missed out on injuries. Back and shoulder trouble sidelined him in 2019 and 2021.
Tatis, 23, has finished in the top four of the NL MVP voting in each of the last two seasons. He scored .282/.364/.611 runs in 130 matches with 42 home runs last year and has established himself as one of the productive players of the game when he is actually on the field. In his three MLB seasons, Tatis has played 273, or 71 percent, of 384 possible regular season games.
Injury is devastating news for a Padres team looking to return from a tremendously disappointing 2021. San Diego went in as a World Series contender last season and went 79–83 instead. They lost 34 of their last 46 matches. Manager Joyce Tingler was let go after the season and the Padres hired Bob Melvin, away from the Athletics, to replace him.
Here's what Sportsline had to say about the implications of potentially losing Tatis for half the season:
"It's terrible. I think everyone is disappointed, especially me," Tatis told Caswell. "I think we have a great chance as a team this year, and I just want to be there for my teammates."
San Diego traded second baseman Adam Frazier to the Mariners before the lockout, reducing the club's depth of field. Melvin's regular lineup stats look something like this while Tatis improves:
- CF Trent Grisham
- 2B Jake Cronenworth
- 3B Manny Machado
- 1B Eric Hosmer
- RF Will Myers
- C Austin Nola
- LF Jurikson Prof.
- DH Nomar Mazar
- SS Ha-song Kim
The Padres chase Nelson Cruz ahead of his deal with the Nationals and they anticipate remaining in the market for a bigger bat. A short-term deal with an outfielder makes the most sense. George Soler, Andrew McCutchen and Jock Pedersen are likely targets. They may also consider reuniting with Tommy Pham, or pursue Japanese slugger Seiya Suzuki.
CBS Sports' Fantasy Baseball Today podcast broke the Tatis news Monday on an emergency episode. Listen below:
Journeyman and non-roster invitee Domingo Leyba now has an inside track of the job as the team's utility infielder, so the Padres may still want to upgrade their bench before opening day. San Diego were an offensive team last season and they are one more injury away from looking really thin in the lineup.
When he is on the field, Tatis is no less than a great player. He is not on the field as often as the Padres would like. Tatis is entering the second year of a record 14-year, $340 million contract he signed last spring.