Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. undergoes follow-up procedure on wrist

Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. underwent a second procedure on the fractured left wrist which required surgery back in March, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. 

There was no setback in Tatis’ recovery from the first surgery, per the report. However, given that Tatis is also on the mend from September shoulder surgery, Padres medical staff and multiple specialists agreed that the second procedure, performed last week, could provide greater long-term stability. 

Padres president of baseball ops A.J. Preller tells Acee that the recovery timetable of this new surgery aligns with that of September’s shoulder operation. Tatis is expected to be ready for spring training.

Of course, Tatis won’t be a part of the Padres’ Opening Day roster, regardless. 

His nightmarish 2022 year has included not only three surgeries to address two injuries but also an 80-game PED suspension, which was handed down on Aug. 12. He cited a ringworm medication which, unbeknownst to him contained a banned substance, as the reason for his positive test and did not appeal the punishment.

The exact amount of time Tatis will miss early next season is dependent on the Padres’ performance over the next few weeks, as postseason games count toward the suspension. He was suspended for the final 48 games of the Padres’ regular season and was unpaid during that time.

Tatis, 23, originally injured his wrist during an offseason motorcycle accident that the team didn’t learn of until the lockout lifted. (Teams were barred from communicating with their players in any form during the 99-day lockout.) The shoulder issue, meanwhile, dates back to a pair of subluxations suffered during an otherwise stellar 2021 season — the first on a swing early in the season and second while sliding into second base in July. Despite the pair of shoulder injuries, Tatis not only avoided surgery but recorded a .282/.364/.611 batting line with 42 home runs and 25 steals in 130 games (546 plate appearances).

There are still 12 years remaining on the 14-year, $340M contract extension Tatis signed following his second season in the Majors. He’ll be paid $7M in 2023 (minus the prorated portion of that salary for any days still remaining on his suspension). He’s then owed salaries of $11M in 2024, $20M in 2025-26, $25M in 2027-28 and $36M annually from 2029-36. His contract affords him full no-trade protection through 2028 and limited no-trade protection (to 13 teams of his choosing) thereafter. If not traded in 2029-30, he’d gain 10-and-5 rights heading into the 2031 season and then once again be able to veto any trade.