Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. expected to dodge IL stint

“No, no, nothing like that,” Tatis said of the injury. “Like I said, everything is good and moving in the right steps.”

He also provided an update on how the injury itself is coming along, even as he prepares to play through it.

“No pain, just some uncomfortable movement,” Tatis said. “But then after that, everything is good and moving forward.”

Tatis was pulled from Tuesday’s loss to the Athletics with the injury after just two at-bats. He didn’t start on Wednesday, but his availability off the bench suggested that the injury wasn’t serious and that he would be back on the field soon.

Whether that return comes on Thursday night in the first game of a three-game set against the Colorado Rockies remains to be seen, but Tatis’ comments should be very encouraging for Padres fane nonetheless.

The Padres have enough injury issues going on after both Jackson Merrill and Jake Croenenworth were placed on the injured list. Losing Tatis as well would have been a big blow, so it’s a good thing that he is recovering quickly.

Tatis has been tearing it up this season and is a hit machine in the Padres lineup. He is 16-for-44 at the plate, good for a .364 average, with a pair of home runs and seven RBIs in 12 games. He has also drawn seven walks and has reached base more than 44% of the time, so there is no question that he is still one of the best bats in the league.

With this injury not holding him back, that should continue as the Padres make another push toward the playoffs.