Fernando Tatis Jr Returns, Full Padres Lineup on Thursday Against Diamondbacks

El Niño is BACK tonight!

The wait is finally over, Padres fans. Fernando Tatis Jr. is back and in uniform for the brown and gold in their matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday night. His 80-game suspension is over, and this will be the first time he'll get some major league action since 2021. 

Padres manager Bob Melvin wants to waste no time in getting Tatis back into action. He'll be leading off for the Padres, and playing in right field.

Here's the full Padres lineup:

1. Fernando Tatis Jr.
2. Juan Soto
3. Manny Machado
4. Xander Bogaerts
5. Jake Cronenworth
6. Matt Carpenter
7. Ha-Seong Kim
8. Trent Grisham
9. Austin Nola

Michael Wacha is taking the mound for the Friars.

For the first time in 18 months, Fernando Tatis Jr is back in the #Padres lineup. pic.twitter.com/xM0gLkt3Oe

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 20, 2023

It's been a long time since Tatis has played Major League Baseball. It'll be interesting to see what kind of reception he gets, especially considering the Padres are playing in Arizona.

However, Padres fans seem very excited to welcome back their superstar, and with the way he was playing in Triple-A during rehab, he should be ready to jump right back in.