The Padres continue to await the return of Fernando Tatís Jr., who hasn’t played this season while recovering from an offseason fracture in his left wrist. The club’s franchise shortstop underwent his latest set of imaging yesterday, and the results were mixed.
Tatís’ latest CT scan didn’t reveal the level of healing for which the team had been hoping, writes Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. He has still not yet been cleared to swing a bat, although he hasn’t suffered any sort of setback. “Another MRI scan continues to show healing, but it was not quite at the level for … a full green light,” president of baseball operations A.J. Preller told reporters (including AJ Cassavell of MLB.com). “Basically we’re in a spot where we’re going to progress week-to-week.”
That’s certainly not an ideal development, particularly given how long Tatís has already been sidelined. When announcing the injury and subsequent surgery in mid-March, Preller indicated the All-Star infielder could be out for three months. We’ve now hit that timetable, and the continued “week-to-week” treatment plan for Tatís to pick up a bat means he’s still not on the verge of an imminent return. As Acee points out, it’s difficult to imagine he’ll be ready to play in a major league game before the July 18-21 All-Star Break, since he’ll certainly need a rehab stint in the minor leagues even after building back into game shape physically.
At the same time, Tatís has continued to make incremental progress. He was cleared to play catch today, the first time he’s been able to snag balls out of the air after previously being limited to taking grounders (video provided by Annie Heilbrunn of the Union-Tribune). Asked how he feels about his current status, Tatís conceded “It’s a little of both. A little bit happy because I’m still progressing. And a little bit sad, because it’s not what everybody wants, including myself” (Cassavell link).
As Tatís was quick to point out, the team hasn’t missed much of a beat in his absence. Despite losing one of the sport’s top players, San Diego enters play Tuesday with a 38-24 record. They’re the top Wild Card team in the National League at the moment, and they sit just percentage points behind the Dodgers in the NL West. That’s largely on the strength of the pitching staff, though, as the Friars place 13th in the majors in runs scored (272) and 21st in park-adjusted hitting (94 wRC+). San Diego shortstops have an awful .170/.271/.257 slash line on the season, as Ha-Seong Kim has cooled after a strong start and top prospect C.J. Abrams struggled badly enough he was optioned back to the minor leagues.
Whenever Tatís is able to return, the position should go from a weakness to an unqualified strength. Preller unsurprisingly indicated the club isn’t feeling any pressure to make an outside addition over the coming weeks, telling Acee and others “we’re expecting to have him back, it’s just a matter of when. I don’t think (the recent imaging) changes anything to where we need to do something form a roster standpoint.“
That kid needs more calcium in his diet.
This lengthy absence is primarily on the owners since had there not been a lockout the Padres would have been able to jump on this injury way earlier than they were able to. Tatis however also shares responsibly for this injury since he was doing something (riding dirt bikes or an ATV I believe) he should not even have been doing so this is an entirely loss-lose situation where the fans suffer the most. What a cluster bleep! UGH
Hey at least he wasn’t pig wrestling.
No, it’s not at all. It’s on Tatis and solely on Tatis. That’s it. That simple. End of discussion.
I agree. You have to be careful when you make your living with your body. If you retire at 38, you’ll have the rest of your life for other pursuits…
But how careful do you really have to be when your income is already guaranteed? That’s what stinks about it. I mean, does he take the kind of risk he did – repeatedly – (and apparently got banged-up – repeatedly!) if his mega-millionaire “living” actually still hung in the balance?
The Padres already wrote him the retirement check, he is a 23 year old with $340 million and 13 years worth of salary in his back pocket.
How did they think he was going to act?
Exactly. There is a clause in his contract specifically prohibiting him from riding motorcycles which he did anyway and is how he injured himself. No one seems to care which is weird to me. He also has the shoulder issue he refuses to get surgery for. As a lifelong diehard Padres fan this is killing me. My expectation for his career is he will be on the field maybe half the time if he continues as he has been. Best predictor for future injury is past injury
@Southpaw There is no clause in the Uniform Player Contract that prohibits riding motorcycle. Just doing stunts on motorcycles or riding offroad. No one is claiming that Tatis did either of those.
If you have been to San Pedro do Macoris you already know that motorcycles outnumber cars there. Its the preferred method of transportation for a lot of reasons.
Tatis did nothing against his contract or out of the ordinary for the area where he lives in the off season.
Tatis was riding a motorcycle. That is neither against his contract, nor is it uncommon in that area of the world. It is transportation. He was not doing stunts or riding off road.
Tatis immediately contacted the Padres team doctor when he had the accident, but was unable to get treatment from them due to the lockout. All he could do was see local doctors in the DR. He did that.
If he had been able to be treated by team doctors he would have had the surgery 2+ months earlier.
All of the blame for getting an injury in the first place is on Tatis for riding a motorcycle with all the inherent risks.
All of the blame for the delay in him playing this season is on the owners for locking out the players and preventing timely treatment by the team doctors. If he had been able to get competent medical treatment from the best orthopedic in the world that work for MLB teams then he would have likely been playing opening day.
There is plenty of blame to go around.
Wrong. There were multiple articles/tweets about this when it happened. He actually had more than one accident as well. Do some research https://friarsonbase.com/2022/03/15/padres-bob-melvin-fernando-tatis-jr-motorcycle-accident-injury/
I thought that standard major league contracts contained a clause prohibiting the player from engaging in certain activities that could result in injury. I remember reading about a ballplayer grousing because he couldn’t go skiing last winter.
It does and the Padres could have gone after him for it but they didn’t want to risk pissing him off.
Ron Gant. He signed with the Braves for the largest one year deal in team history at the time. Then a few weeks later shattered his leg riding an ATV. Braves voided the contract.
Riding a motorcycle on a road is not one of those things. Doing stunts on a motorcycle would be, but there is no indication that is what happened.
Wrong
I’m sure the San Diego Padres provide health insurance for the players. Even if not I’m sure he has enough money to try to take care of it himself.
The health insurance wasn’t offered during lockout. Hence why they couldn’t jump on it. That’s why he comments that…
That may be. Sounds good but if you are hurt go to the doctor. I’m sure he could have scrounged up a few bucks. Just do what you gotta do.
I’d suggest the only thing stopping Tatis from getting a diagnosis on a sore wrist was Tatis. Non baseball people do it every day. Considering how it happened, the temptation to just hope it goes away before reporting back from the lockout would have been a strong one. Respect to the Padres for protecting their guy.
The health insurance wasn’t offered during lockout. Hence why they couldn’t jump on it.
==================================
That’s not it at all. Tatis can easily afford health insurance. The problem is that players cannot undergo any medical treatments not approved by the team. And since the team and the players couldn’t contact each other, there was no way to get approval.
On the first day of the lockout, both sides should’ve discussed this issue. The same thing happened to Conforto, and possibly other players as well. Both sides should’ve contributed to training facilities as well.
Wow I’m pretty sure if a player was injured during the lockout somehow they could have worked around that considering the circumstances. I know how things go but if he went through the union they all would have worked something out in a case like this.
So if a major league player was crossing the street and got hit by a car during the lockout, breaking a leg.
He is turning the ambulance away, and then getting himself home so he can wait it out until the lockout ends ?
Actually, the standard player contract states that he cannot seek outside medical treatment without the knowledge and consent of the team or his contract can be voided.
While he did tell the team doctor that he hurt his wrist, it was not deemed serious because he could do most things without pain and it was during a lockout so they could not examine him until he arrived at camp.
In that case, the team doctor needs to brush up on scaphoid symptoms, diagnosis and ramifications of non treatment. Does he still work there ?
In his defense the team doctor got a phone call from a player thousands of miles away who said something like, I hurt my hand a little. It doesn’t hurt all that much unless I try swinging the bat full power, so what should I do?
Doctor probably said, go get an xray, which Tatis did, and try not to use it too much until I can examine it after the lockout is over.
They examined it the first day he was in camp and found out the break was bad enough to require surgery.
Too nice imo Pads fan. Old radiographer here. The scaphoid is a problematic little sucker and half competent docs tend to be on high alert for fractures. I would imagine that is 10x for a baseball team doctor.
It’s not a difficult diagnosis either.
Easily done on the phone.
Hey Fernando, how did you hurt your hand ?
I fell off my bike
(Alarm bell rings) Did you reach out to break your fall with that hand ?
Yes
(Alarm bells getting louder)Put your hand flat on a table and spread your fingers. There’s a little dent at the bottom of your thumb. You probably snorted coke out of it when you hooked up with the lady that Bauer throttled. Press in there with a little bit of force. Did you yelp ?
Yes.
Ok. You need a scan.
Haaaaaaaaaaa
The only thing that’s on the Padres is paying him for injuring himself doing something unrelated to baseball. They shouldn’t. But, it’s their money, so whatever…
These guys getting paid, when injuries sustained are of their own recklessness, are incredibly lucky. The owners are incredibly generous to pay such exorbitant amounts simply out of goodwill.
I’m sure other players will put a note in the memory bank for future FA team considerations too. How employers treat employees in a situation like this could be the difference for certain players’ choice of a team with which to sign. They’ll have to replace Manny when he goes to the Yankees to replace Donaldson, so it may be sooner than later.
Lol at your last sentence.
Could happen but the Yankees would have to stop goofing around and pay him what he wants. We saw what happened in 2018 when teams kept trying to be cute with their offers to Manny. The problem with that is with elite free agents like Manny Machado you don’t get to sign them on ANYONE’S terms but theirs.
You don’t sign them on ANYONE’S terms but theirs…. That’s why you DON’T sign them and you move on to something more reasonable where you have actually negotiating power such that you can sign a player without handing out a regrettable contract. The Yankees can perhaps afford such craziness but for most teams such signings are counter productive.
Hi, Yankee Clipper, your Yankees are looking good.
But do you really think Cashman will outbid Padres, Dodgers and Mets for Machado?
I still think Judge will be staying with Yankees. If so, I see less than a one percent chance that Machado becomes a Yankee.
Manny, I don’t know, man, but I tend to agree with you. I was just Joshin’ (pun intended). So, yeah, it really does depend on Judge, imo. But Cashman & Hal have surprised me before with spending, which is why you can’t ever count them out. But, I don’t know they would do it.
I postulate either the LAD or Mets will be out of the Machado sweepstakes because they will go after Ohtani, imho, because they’re the only teams that can afford him. Plus you’ve got Correa, several top pitchers (DeGrom, etc), & Judge. Same teams will also be saving for Soto. So, it’ll be interesting to see how it shakes out.
BTW, I love the Padres camouflage jerseys – some of my favorite jerseys in the game. Wish they would wear them all the time.
They wear them to honor the Dept of Defense, and the camo helps them sneak up on the Dodgers and chase them through the briars and brambles and bushes where a rabbit couldn’t go, and some say the team spends wastefully, like the DOI, so might be appropriate to wear the camos more often yes, to be consistent, but while their defense has been stellar so far this season, Tatis is returning soon so, we lose on that analogy………but then, El Nino launches a lot of bombs and missiles to make up for it but he has trouble staying healthy, like our economy, in a fossil-fuel dependent military.
But the camos do look good, yeah, wish they came with matching pants, Melvin would look great.
Haha…so Tatis does something dumb and it’s somehow on the owners too? What a stupid take.
Pretty impressive that SDP are where they are, considering their offensive struggles. They’ve also played over half their schedule against 500+ teams. Curious to see what Preller does.
Really have had a pretty good season. Voit profar and cronenworth starting to hit too. When ftj returns that will be amazing. Plus I wonder who preller gets at the deadline. Maybe an OF bat, or Wilson Contreras
I don’t see the fit with Wilson to be honest. The pitching staff is doing well with the current catchers and Wilson doesn’t offer much with the glove.
Please come get Hicks and Gallo so they can flip the prospect cost for Benintendi
Think the Padres would rather just trade for Benintendi than do that if the prospect cost is indeed the same.
Kim is a decent fill-in, but it’s going to be nice having him as the bench piece instead of Alcantara. It’s crazy to me that Alcantara is still being rostered with how non-existent his offensive value is. Just zero offensive production.
I guess they’re probably waiting for Tatis to return to DFA him, but if it’s going to be a month they might as well just do it now and call someone up from AAA to at least get some value out of that roster spot in the meantime.
Tatis is a spoiled child of a former major leaguer; a millionaire’s son in a sea of poverty. Manchild should be docked his salary and taught about non-baseball injuries and contracts.
He’s not the best shortstop on the team. Maybe the third best… Cronenworth didn’t seem too shabby there either.
Being that his non-surgically repaired shoulder is a risk, DH is his best option if/when he comes back.
AJ Preller loves the afflicted. I see him adding a 7-year/$210M guaranteed extension in a few days and giving him a Ninja bike for Christmas… [sarcasm]
Go touch some grass dude
You’re kind of a bitter turd, aren’t you
Crikes:
I agree that the majority of people who make millions per year for playing a schoolyard game are spoiled. The majority of people who make millions per year doing anything are spoiled.
And I actually think that with a bat as good as Tatis, Jr., there is a compelling argument to have him DH about 50% of the time, same for Harper and several other stars.
But even being injury prone, the Padres will likely come out ahead on this long-term deal with Tatis. He is an exceptional player and he sells tickets and tv contracts.
@Manny. I get what you’re saying about making a million. But that’s actually a doable figure for a small entrepreneur who worked their butt off to get there and has the pressure of a hundred or more families relying on them for an income. You likely know some millionaires.
@Dock there is a big difference between being a millionaire and making millions per year.
@junior Felix
That’s very true. I’ll stick by my original point, though, still. I think we often see the rewards of hard work, and long time dedication as “being spoiled”. It’s more a matter of personal character. I’ve met entitled jerks from every walk of life. I believe much of the time our reaction says more about US than it does the person. The top 700 or so people in any profession are usually capable of life choices many aren’t. But that goes right down the pike. I know individuals who make a million per year…and you’d never know it by their lifestyle. It actually helped them get it and stay there. Then I know people living at one of the finest golf clubs in the world mortgaged out the wazoo on their 500k salary. I’ve just known too many people to base character on salary…annually or assets. But your point is true. Big difference between making a million in cash and owning that in assets.
I find that a bit silly. These guys didn’t show and get drafted. A lot of them are insanely hard workers. Webster, the former center for the Steelers, worked out twice a day, 365 days a year. That included Christmas and everything else. Rodman would ride a bike for 45 minutes before a game, play 46 minutes, and then lift weights for 90 minutes after a game. Guys like Walker did a 1,000 pushups and sit-ups every day.
I doubt these guys are spoiled. You just couldn’t get there otherwise.
Kim can hit. I would consider bringing Abrams back up until Tatis returns in two months.
Kim has a .632 OPS this year — not good. Dude can pick it at SS tho.
Aye, Kim is also very streaky. Definitely a solid bench piece, but not an everyday player
Kim is figuring it out, by the final year of his contract he might actually have a MLB ready bat. In the meantime the Padres owe him like $30 million. Basic AJ Preller signing.
Kim strikes out a lot, and really can’t hit. Yeah, he is gradually improving, but at a snails pace.
I don’t think he will even turn into a league average hitter
Look at his home/away splits. He has an 828 OPS away and a 557 home. He can’t hit at Petco. When it gets warmer like most of the team will do better at home.
He can? Kim hasn’t shown that skill yet. His .643 OPS is abysmal.
Let Abrams get everyday at bats against AAA competition for a while. He is starting to come alive there and in SD he would just be a bench player.
I remember playing Exitabike at the arcade when I was a kid. That was fun!
ExciteBike… and it was awesome
THIS is the reason you “SOTO” these dudes until you HAVE to pay them
i thought he was an outfielder?
$$$$$$ = toilet.
This could turn out to be a very bad contract.
As opposed to all the good ten year contracts?
More than half of all long term deals of 7+ years have turned out good for the teams. If they didn’t, the billionaires would not keep spending that money.
False logic. People repeat bad plans all the time. You say more than half of these contracts work out. Care to offer done actual evidence. All you presented so far is a claim and a fallacy.
People say that each time he misses a game and then he comes back and tears the ball apart
There’s a gazillion years left on that contract and we haven’t even gotten close to half way through it. Chances are it’s gonna be a bad looking contract in the long run but if any player COULD be worth such a contract my money would be on Tatis.
Tatis won’t be on the field for half of the games left on that contract. The guy is an amazing player but the writing is pretty much on the wall at this point that durability is not going to be his strong suit.
He will be DH’ing full time by his 26th birthday.
Kim is at 12 DRS ..Tatis Jr was -11 DSR in 21.. just saying that’s 23 solo Homer’s to make up the difference …I would leave Kim at SS and play Tatis in RF when he comes back (he was at least neutral in the OF in 21 with 0 DRS…
Let Abrams seasoning at AAA and then compete to win SS in ST 23.. Tatis should be in CF or RF in 23 and beyond.. he could be GG anywhere out in the grass and keep his body in one piece…(remember he still has that shoulder issue).. Good problem to have and in an interview after taking fly balls in CF at Wrigley today Fernando hinted at fitting in wherever he could help most when he came back.. he also gripped a bat for the 1st time today although not cleared to swing or hit off a t yet .. all in all he has been taking grounder and fly balls now and throwing the ball.. just waiting for clearance to swing the bat ..hit off thebY and hit live pitching..
If Ha-Seong Kim is in the lineup, he is the shortstop. Full stop.
DRS is a stat that requires roughly 3 full seasons, 450 games of stats, to be used as an accurate comparative measure of defense. Using a few dozen games to try to say one guy is better than the other is a joke.
Tatis hit 42 home runs in 478 ABs last season. Kim has hit 12 in his 460 AB career.
I think you are right about Tatis’ eventual home being the OF. Myers is gone after 2022. Grisham has forgotten how to hit. With Kim as a backup and Abrams as the everyday SS starting in 2023, the Padres need an OF more than a SS.
Trade Tatis, Hassell and Campusano for Soto. I am already getting tired of Tatis. Let some other team treat him like a spoiled child.
Soto will get a $450+ million contract. Tatis is a better deal and he may be as good as a batter. Both are great players. Aming batters, Tatis, Soto, Acuna and Harper are the face of the NL, just like Ohtani, Trout, Judge and Guerrero are the face of the AL.
There may be players who are better like Goldschmidt and Machado, but Tatis will be a face of the NL for the next decade or more.
Padres might need to consider trading this piece of glass. He’s not missed and what could happen in the clubhouse if he returns? Remember there was turmoil last year, and he hasn’t really ever been good when he’s healthy and playing. Seems to be issues in clubhouse. Trade him , think of the young arms Padres could get for him.
He has been in the clubhouse all season..traveling with the team on the road and being with it at home…
From following the Padres this year, my impression is that their pitching has been fine this year and their offense is weak at shortstop and outfield. Gore (from the minors), Manaea (from free agency) and Rogers (from a trade) have been key additions.
…” he hasn’t really ever been good when he’s healthy and playing”?? Wtf? … Trolling?
Forgive me for thinking outside the box, but would it occur to anyone that maybe Tatis Junior was caught with some PED substance in his system and that the “wrist injury” is a cover to keep his brand spotless? This guy is a godsend as far as unalloyed talent is concerned, but he is thin as a rail and maybe some mad scientist outside the jurisdiction of the DEA gave him a cocktail that did not pass muster. I’m not under oath and neither are you. Just spitballing here….
Misinformation total garbage. The guy broke his wrist on a dirt bike, I believe it, he comes across as a kid that takes chances without considering his career first.
I would bet he sacrificed his salary this season considering how he broke his wrist
he comes across as a kid that takes chances without considering his career first.
=================================
Basically your average kid. I think some people don’t realize that a lot of athletes are not the stay-at-home types. They become athletes because they are aggressive and tough, with a feeling of invincibility.
Understand what you’re saying JB as far as being an average kid, but and its a big but……he stopped being average the moment he signed that $ huge contract and with that signing came a responsibility to be mature and not have the attitude and tendencies to be a knuclkehead of a kid…..his responsibility is to himself as a premier athlete, to the Padres as far as the investment they have in him, and to his teammates regarding the opportunity they have to win…..possibly it all in the WS as they have a much better chance with him, then without him.
Have you seen tatis? Dude isn’t thin as a rail. He is a 6″ 5′ monster.
It would occur to people who believe in crazy things with no basis in reality.
Better go eat dinner before it gets cold.
He still has to take the PED tests. Have you actually ever seen him? He is definitely not thin as a rail. As solid as a linebacker would be a better description.
I miss Tony Gwynn. These selfish kids give me grey hair.
Tanking?
Padres are stringing his healing process along of course you don’t want to have him come back to soon just to have a set back .Dirtbikes are dangerous that’s a lot of money on that contract to loose being careless
Pretty weird that their super expensive center piece player has missed this entire season and the team probably hasn’t lost out on many wins as a result. Every player is replaceable. I know it’s just the first year of a very long deal but I wonder if this goes down as the greatest albatross in sports history.
“Every player is replaceable.” …I think you may be onto something there.
The Padres are the best pitching team in the NL. That is why they have only lost out on a handful of wins so far while Tatis has been out.
Having a bat like that in the lineup matters and it matters a huge amount. The Padres have been unable to replace his offensive production. The difference between a .975 OPS and a .693 OPS is something that effects the outcome of games even if its just one player.
No one is saying it doesn’t matter. But it’s not more than a difference of two or three wins per season.
This is why long-term contracts are a bad idea.
The Padres have secured a long-term contract with a top 3 MLB position player that pays $26 million a year. By contrast, numerous far lesser SS have recently signed $30-35 million per year long-term deals, and none are as genuinely pro-baseball, charismatic and box-office friendly. Soto, a comparable superstar, will sign for $40+ million a year soon. The Tatis contract will likely prove to be a bargain.
Hi Anthony,
Can you fix the word ‘form’? It should be ‘from’ a roster standpoint’ not ‘form’. Please & thank you.
“something ‘form’ a roster standpoint”.“
It must be extremely frightening to other teams that the Padres are in 1st place without Tatis Jr.
Imagine how good they will be when their shortstop is hitting .292/.369/.596/.965 instead of .218/.301/.342/.643.
They will be slightly better. He’s still just one player.
His stats are not slightly better, They are >>>>>>> better. He is an impact player. Kim is not.
His stats will be much better. The TEAM will be only slightly better as he is only one player and won’t add a huge amount of wins. Try and follow what’s actually being said.
And when he has 23 fewer DRS
DRS? The stat that doesn’t even matter as a measurement of defense until you have 450 games of data for each player to compare? That one?
I mean, when all the other defensive metrics out there say the exact same thing, that Kim is a much better defensive shortstop than Tatis, it can’t be THAT bad of a stat.
WAR includes defense. Acuna averages 5.95 WAR per 600-AB. Soto averages 6.47. Tatis-7.88. I guess his defense can’t be that terrible.
There have been players with bad defense and high WAR before. Your point proves nothing.
Another case for mlb to get on board with the other professional sports teams and put an end to full guaranteed contracts. If Tatis wasn’t guaranteed his salary I doubt if he’s out there taking these kind of risks.
Only video I could find quickly of traffic in the town Tatis lives in during the offseason. I am sure there are more. Gives you both a great idea of the prevalence of motorcycles on the road there and the driving conditions. https://youtu.be/1-dvTaCMxiI
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I still don’t like how MLB handled the suspension. It should not have been announced until Tatis was activated and scheduled to play a game. From what I remember he was still in the injured list. At the least they should have waited until he was cleared from the IL. He then was able to use the time off to get surgery it seems. Punishment for PED use should be handed down fairly. In this case it seemed less of a punishment than with other players due to the timing coinciding with injury.