Padres Manager Assures Fernando Tatis Jr Has As Much Freedom As Possible

Tatis is coming into his own slowly but surely

It's been two whole weeks and then some that Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. has returned to the lineup. He missed over 500 days of baseball and is now back on the diamond. The team and fans were beyond happy to see the young superstar back in the lineup, and even though he's not quite back to 100%, his impact has been vital to the team. 

Fernando has looked great in certain spots, but there are times when you can see he still needs to get his feet underneath him. Padres manager Bob Melvin spoke to the media prior to Sunday's matchup against the Dodgers and told 97.3 The Fan that they're working their way into 'unleashing' Fernando. 

"We're working our way into that. He's going to be on a green light, for the most part. I think baby steps as far as that goes, still kind of feeling himself, he's playing every day, I think you'll start to see that dynamic a little more."

"A guy like that, you want to give him as much freedom as you possibly can." 

Padres manager Bob Melvin discusses facing Dodgers starter Julio Urias, the debut of Adam Engel, and Fernando Tatis Jr before tonight's game: pic.twitter.com/BtH2ZDmmc0

— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) May 7, 2023

Fernando has played in all 15 games since being reinstated into the lineup and has slashed .290/.319/.522 with a .841 OPS, four home runs, and 10 RBIs in 69 ABs as of Monday. 

El Niño is one of the most explosive talents in the league and is proving that to us in his return. The 24-year-old is coming into his own in these past couple of days, and it will only be a matter of time before we see Tatis ball out even more.