Fernando Tatis Jr. Expected to Return to San Diego Padres' Lineup Thursday

Fernando Tatis Jr. is expected to make his long-awaited return to the San Diego Padres' lineup Thursday night, when his club plays the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. Tatis served an 80 game suspension after testing positive for a banned substance in August 2022.

Fernando Tatis Jr. is expected to make his long-awaited return to the San Diego Padres' lineup Thursday night, when his club plays the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.

Tatis last appeared in a Major League game on the final day of the 2021 season, 565 days ago.

Tatis opened the 2022 season on the Injured List, as he underwent surgery to repair a fractured scaphoid bone in his wrist. In August, he received an 80-game suspension for testing positive for Clostebol, an anabolic steroid and banned substance. Tatis had another wrist surgery during his suspension, and due to the longevity of the Padres' postseason run last fall, he is able to come back 12 games earlier this season than he was originally scheduled for. Tatis' 80-game suspension includes playoff games, meaning that the further the more postseason games the Padres played in 2022, the fewer games he would be required to miss at the start of the 2023 season. The Padres reached the National League Championship Series, falling to the Philadelphia Phillies in five games. The club played 12 total postseason games, moving up the return date for Tatis in 2023.

Tatis' suspension included 48 regular season games and 12 postseason games in 2022, and 20 regular season games in 2023. After Wednesday, he will be a free man.

Tatis' suspension did not prohibit him from playing minor league baseball, thus, he appeared in eight Triple-A games for the El Paso Chihuahuas. 

In eight games at Triple-A El Paso, Tatis smashed seven home runs and 15 RBI, slashing a ridiculous .515/.590/1.802.

After playing primarily as a shortstop for the Padres, Tatis will soon need to embrace a new position. His club signed All-Star Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year, $280 million contract to play shortstop. The arrival of Bogaerts moved Ha-Seong Kim over to second base and Jake Cronenworth over to first base.

Tatis played right field in all but one of his eight games in El Paso. In the other game, he was the team's designated hitter. it appears Tatis will find a new home in right field, with Trent Grisham patrolling center field and Juan Soto in left.

The Padres have gotten off to a slow start offensively. Entering Wednesday, the Padres rank 27th in Batting Average (.224), 21st in On Base Percentage (.309), 23rd in OPS (.693), 22nd in RBI (68), 20th in hits (138) and 23rd in runs scored (72).

Tatis' bat will be a welcome addition to a club in need of an offensive jolt.

Check out the latest episode of Jack Vita Show!

Subscribe to the Jack Vita Show on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Amazon | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | Pandora | TuneIn | Listen Notes | Podtail | Podchaser | Hubhopper | Audio junkie | Himalaya | Podcast Addict | Available wherever podcasts are found.

For more from Jack Vita, follow him on Twitter @JackVitaShow, and subscribe to his podcast, the Jack Vita Show, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Facebook, Amazon, iHeartRadio, and wherever podcasts are found.