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Today is the day, Friar fans. Fernando Tatis Jr will return to the Padre lineup tonight against the Arizona Diamondbacks. His return is much anticipated and needed for the Friars, as they've been slumping for some time now. 

They have yet to get over that hump, but they did just enough on Wednesday to come up with the win thanks to Padres lefty slugger Juan Soto. Soto provided the Padres' lone run in the victory and will now head into today's game with their 24-year-old superstar. 

Soto spoke to reporters after the game and was asked how important it was to get a win with the return of Tatis. Soto said he was just happy to add another win to their record. 

"Losing stinks. It doesn't matter if he's coming back or not, it's always bad. We just have to get it going, we have a great team. We're more than excited to get him back and see what he can show to the team. He's amazing; he's going to bring a lot of energy and stuff that we need. For me, getting the win is great for the team and the team is more excited to see him come back."

There's no doubting the importance of bringing a guy like Fernando back to the lineup, but with or without him, the slump they've been going through is unacceptable.

Hopefully, the return of Tatis provided the extra boost they've been looking for. We're all excited for his return, and it could only help the Friars in the long run.