TODAY: Melvin gave a bit of clarity on when Tatis might return, telling MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell and other reporters that the aim is for Tatis to play in the majors by “mid-August-ish.”
AUGUST 5, 7:16pm: Manager Bob Melvin said Tatis will begin the assignment either tomorrow or Sunday (via Dennis Lin of the Athletic). He’s expected to play both shortstop and center field in the minors.
6:35pm: Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. is getting closer to a return, as Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (Twitter link) that he’s en route to Double-A San Antonio. He’ll soon begin a rehab assignment there, the final step before he makes it back to Petco Park.
It has been a long time coming for Tatis, who fractured a bone in his left wrist over the offseason. He underwent surgery in mid-March, with the club expressing hope at the time he’d be back by the middle of June. That obviously proved not to be the case. While there were no reports of meaningful setbacks, Tatis didn’t recover at the pace he or the team had hoped. He’s been gradually building through various baseball activities in recent weeks, and he’s now positioned to get into games for the first time this year.
Position players are allowed up to 20 days on rehab assignments. Once Tatis formally begins his assignment in the next few days, he can spend just under three weeks in the minors before the team has to bring him to the majors or shut him back down. They wouldn’t be sending him out if they anticipated the latter outcome, so the club is obviously of the belief he’ll be ready by the middle or end of this month.
Tatis’ forthcoming return will add another star to a lineup already loaded with firepower. Manny Machado is in the MVP conversation, and the Friars brought in Juan Soto and Josh Bell in one of the most monumental trades in MLB history. Add Tatis — owner of a .292/.369/.596 line through his first three seasons — to the mix, and the Padres will deploy an eye-popping top of the lineup for the stretch run.
With Tatis out of action, the bulk of the shortstop work has gone to Ha-Seong Kim. The former KBO star has overcome a rough rookie MLB season to hit at a roughly league average level (.248/.329/.370) while playing Gold Glove caliber defense through 98 games. With Bell, Jake Cronenworth, Machado and another deadline acquisition Brandon Drury all around the infield, San Diego will have an embarrassment of riches on the dirt. Tatis has expressed a willingness to move from shortstop to the outfield if necessary, with center field seemingly the likeliest spot in that case. Soto has right field accounted for, and Jurickson Profar is having the best year of his career in left. Trent Grisham, who has stumbled to a .197/.293/.365 line in just shy of 400 trips to the plate, seems as if he’ll be the odd man out most days once everyone is healthy.
Oh boy Soto, Tatis, Machado man dodger fans be browning their shorts right now?
The Padres trail the Dodgers by 14 games in the loss column. The Padres have vastly improved their team, but the Dodgers are probably more worried about Atlanta and the Mets.
Atl and mets are good teams. The dodger fans will say what you said. That being said only a fool would think the padres aren’t on all 3 of those teams level now.
Nobody will want to play a healthy padres team in the playoffs.
Sd is there agreed; but they will have to play an extra series to meet Lad and that makes it tougher for them, much tougher if your being honest come Oct
I never understood how so many of you get so worked up on a potential series down the line that Vegas will have in-between 60-40% either way regardless
Sit back and enjoy the show folks, the cement has been poured already
The Padres will win nothing again this season the Dodgers are just better. Tatis will probably not finish the season healthy as I’m sure his shoulder will act up and who knows how many times he’ll have to be sat down during his rehab games due to issues with his legs having not played all year. Also do you really trust SD’s starting rotation when the playoff lights go on? I don’t and I’m not a Dodger’s fan either.
The Dodgers were technically a better team than the Braves too last year. How did that work out for them?
It’s true that playoffs are mostly a crap shoot. But, losing Muncy on the very last day of the season with no time to make a trade, like the Braves when they lost Acuna early in the year, did not help.
Or is it two extra series, does 5 play 6 and winner play 4?
Agree that I would rather play Brewers than Padres (although Milwaukee has great starting pitching). But if the Mets have a rested deGrom and Scherzer that worries the Dodgers a lot more than say Sean Manaea, who they scored eight runs against in the first three innings tonight.
6 plays 3 with all games (best of 3) played at 3. 5 plays 4 with all games at 4. Winner of 6-3 plays 1 and winner of 5-4 plays 2.
Better make him a designated hitter or he’ll become a designated sitter
Better keep him off dirtbikes
Great
Acuna was also out for the Braves but it didn’t really matter for them since Rosario hit like he was a hall of famer. The Max Muncy injury was pretty devastating for the Dodgers as he OPS’d 0.895 last season and to lose him in the last game of the season.
I was going to balk at MLB for adding a needless extra series but at least the top 2 seeds get byes, which is huge as a three game series can be a complete crapshoot. The wild cards at least now get a series instead of one stupid game. Feel bad for the #3 seed, as they a get measly three game series even though they won the division.
Nah, super excited for the challenge
It is easy to be exited for a burden you do not have to bear.
Let’s see….Mookie…Freddie, Trea. Then I dunno, a bottom their order that rolls out of bed here and there and carries the team. Yeah, Dodgers gotta be shakin’ like leaves.
So, they’ll be wearing Padres’s uniform paints and Dodgers’s uniform tops?
Am l the only one who’s starting to have a doubt on his career as a baseball player?
Yep, his slash line says he is elite. Just needs to be smart and stay healthy
That’s exactly where l’m having a doubt on, being smart and healthy.
Comes with age and learning your season. Just need to mature a bit. Hopefully this is his wakeup call
Its never the same injury, so I have no reason to think it would continue. I have way more doubts when a guy keeps having the same injury over an dover again.
Actually Tatis has reportedly had 4-5 partial or complete left shoulder dislocations.
I don’t understand why Tatis didn’t get his left shoulder fixed at the same time as his wrist.
Stupidity is why
Yes.
Friar faithful rejoice!! Darse prisa Niño!
It’s a good thing for baseball
This guy coming back willing not do much nationally for baseball which is not nearly as popular as it was in the past.
If I were San Diego, I would play Tatis at DH for the rest of this season, just for 2022 only. I am a huge Tatis fan, but why take chances.
I think he will get a lot of time there since no one is specifically locked into it. Probably a 50/50 split.
Think their plan is to play him in center vs lefties and short vs righties. I’m sure some dh as well.
It makes the lineup better. Kim hits very well vs lefties and grish can play vs righties.
This lineup is going to be scary good if they click.
I was thinking that two, but Grisham has been hot since the AS break. I wouldn’t want to mess him up again now that he’s back.
Kim and grisham have nearly the same ops the last 30 days. Pretty much 800 each.
Pull Kim’s slash line vs lefties and his gold glove D means he needs to play.
Myers is on the bench either way.
Tatis
Soto
Machado
Bell
Cronenworth
Drury
Profar
Nola/Alfaro
Kim/Grisham
Myers will spot start at 1b, lf, rf to give days off.
Grisham isn’t a platoon guy as he is actually slightly better v LHP for some reason. I think Grisham plays everyday. V RHP – Tatis at SS, whoever Drury is spelling on D at DH. V LHP – Tatis at DH, Kim at SS.
Grisham will definitely be a platoon guy. That’s the only reason tatis is playing the outfield
But he hits lefties better. Why platoon a guy on his worst side?
Because his numbers aren’t very good vs either. Bomel also loves the platoons, lead the league in them last year.
Only way Grisham plays everyday is of tatis defense in center is real bad.
This year Grisham is a below avg hitters vs lefties and righties. He is lucky to even be still playing let alone full time.
I think it is far more likely Tatis becomes the everyday CF than bouncing back and forth between the two hardest positions on a seemingly random occasion after missing 4 and half months with a wrist injury and is still trying to find his grove at the plate. The Pads should make sure he is as comfortable as possible on defense this year, so I think he is a SS/DH or a CF/DH. Not a SS/CF. I lean towards SS/DH given his lack of familiarity with CF, but who knows?
Lol just saw the update about playing both position. I will just have to disagree with the decision.
The moment Tatis Jr is playing short, barring injuries to others, will show that its all about him and his ego. For the team, he should be at DH and OF. He can be one of the most exciting players in the game. The question is whether he can be a part of an exciting team.
Melvin has sounded like he is going to enjoy mixing and matching. I think that unless Tatis specifically tells Melvin that he needs a position to call his own Melvin will move him around. Even though everyone in the lineup is currently hitting, we all know that will not always be the case. Machado sprains an ankle and Drury plays 3B. Kim goes cold? Tatis. I don’t expect a set lineup.
Trent Grisham had an 83-OPS+ on Tuesday. Today he has a 91-OPS+. 8 points in 4 days? He is hitting (and bunting) well right now. No need to be replaced.
Nl playoffs is going to be sick
LAD and ATL powerhouses
Mets and Padres got some dyno-mite they are bringing to the party
* Phillies got a sluggers chance to knock any one of these teams out in a series as well if they make it
Hot dog
But otherwise a good player
Hamburger. But otherwise a balanced diet.
Kim vs lefties this year.
Ba .302. Obp .406. Slg .462 and ops of .869
Thats an elite player when you add in his gold glove level defense.
He will start at short vs lefties and sit vs righties. Tatis will play both positions
I agree his defense is gold glove worthy and he’s had a much better year as a hitter
I really hope people sleep on the Friars…
How is anyone going to sleep on a team with two 23 year old Superstars?
Winning baseball is 80% pitching. Adding Soto and Bell helps one of the worst hitting teams in the league, but will it be enough?
Have you been watching all the MLB shows? They’ve practically put the Padres in the World Series.
Well. they’re definitely going to win all of the rest of their games against the Dodgers. LOL
There’s no way that a good baseball guy will take a better SS glove out instead of a middling CF hitting below .200… Tatis or not.
Time for Tatis to do his best Robin Yount… Yount had shoulder problems and went to CF.
Who?
I know everyone thinks the WS will be the Dodgers vs the Astros or Yankees. But I would like to see the Padres vs the Blue Jays.
Well, it depends on how someone asks the question. Can be a big difference between what you’d LIKE to see vs what you believe will happen.
I don’t think TOR is going very far in the playoffs this year. Just my opinion
I see a Teins Jays first round matchup. Twins bullpen is elite. As a Jays fan, our bullpen simply isn’t good enough to go deep.
Better now than never.
And so it begins
This gets me more emotional than the movie Marley and Me.
I hope he gets help for his addictions.
Mid august ish that’s tomorrow right? Oh it’s 7th
August 18
The Padres lol they always make big moves but never falls through to a championship. expect most of the players on team to be gone within 2 yrs. No way they can beat Dodgers, Mets , Yanks or cardinals even. Bunch ah bums
I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s gained weight like Cano and have lost the speed he used to possess.
Right now the Padres are in a four-game losing streak where they’ve been outscored 27-7. That’s a pretty lopsided football score, now that I think about it. That streak includes a three-game sweep by the Dodgers that dumped San Diego 17 games back in the loss column in the NL West. The Phillies have also dumped the Padres out of the second wild card.
San Diego is now clinging to the third wild card, dead even in the loss column with Milwaukee. At this point the Padres better just worry about making the playoffs. They should definitely stop paying attention to the media blather about THE GREATEST TRADE OF ALL TIME.
Dodger fans are probably feeling pretty good after their team crushed San Diego in their three-game series. None of the games were even close.
Funny and true. No stake in that battle, but SD isn’t exactly a slam dunk to finish ahead of Philly and NLC runner-up (Brewers or Cards) to make the playoffs. The game isn’t played and won on paper with splash names.
Padres must be doing something right a lot of padres haters lately. Padres are going for it maybe the owner should pocket money so everyone complain about that .padres are in playoff contention it’s great the owners spending money great for baseball. Padres were the A’s pirates not long ago.
Maybe people want to see them actually win something to justify the hype. This team has basically done nothing but headline grab for 4 seasons now, all the way back to signing Machado and putting Tatis on the opening day roster in 2019, yet they have exactly zero to show for it. Results wise, this is the most overhyped team, maybe ever.
That’s why you are here you are worried about the padres getting tatis back . You see they have a good team .
Okay overhyped . They are trying to win a playoff spot what is wrong with that
Part of it is the all-in nature of moves from Preller, which screams irresponsibility. I know that most prospects don’t add up to much, so we’ll see how it works out. Could be brilliant. It does seem like Preller is not afraid of buying high. Doubts on whether Soto will be re-signed in 2.5 years, but Pads have potentially three bites of the apple in the all-in strategy. With Tatis, their lineup can be as good as any out there.