There were some fears that season-ending shoulder surgery might be on the table for Fernando Tatis Jr. It sounds like that’s no longer the case, and not only that, but the San Diego Padres shortstop might be ready to play again sooner rather than later.
Padres manager Jayce Tingler said Friday that Tatis has been showing “significant improvements” as he rehabs his injured shoulder. Tingler added that Tatis is progressing toward hitting on the field.
Tatis has dealt with multiple shoulder injuries, and this is the third partial dislocation of it he’s suffered in 2021. Despite this, he hasn’t missed significant time at any point. This certainly looked like it might be different, but the Padres have, at least publicly, expressed optimism all along.
Tatis Jr., who is hitting .292 with 31 home runs and 23 stolen bases, had emerged as an NL MVP candidate before this latest injury. The Padres, who have fallen 7.5 games back in the NL West, need him healthy to continue a playoff push.
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