WATCH: San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. Blasts Home Run in Minors
San Diego Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. is still serving his 80-game PED suspension and isn't eligible to return to the majors until April 20th.
He's currently rehabbing his way back at AAA El-Paso and made his debut on Tuesday. In the second game of his rehab on Wednesday, Tatis Jr. blasted a home run to left field.
Tatis got a fastball up and in and rocketed it out to left field, over the wall in Sacramento.
The 24-year-old Tatis was one of the brightest young stars in baseball just a few years ago. He made his debut at the age of 19 in 2019 and played 84 games for the Padres, hitting 22 home runs while stealing 16 bases. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he hit 17 more homers and then in 2021, he hit 42 homers to lead baseball and added 25 steals.
He missed all of 2022 with a wrist injury and the PED suspension and it remains to be seen how he'll be welcomed back to the league -- and if people remember how good he is.
When he rejoins the Padres, he'll join a loaded team that has added Xander Bogaerts and Juan Soto since he last played, and locked up Manny Machado to another long-term contract.
The Padres are one of the favorites in the National League after acquiring Soto last year and signing Bogaerts this offseason, and adding Tatis Jr. should only help their chances.
The team has made the playoffs in two of the last three seasons, losing in the NLCS in 2022 and the NLDS in 2020.
The Padres will travel to Atlanta to open a weekend series with the Braves on Thursday at 7:20 p.m. ET.
