Padres Update On Fernando Tatis Jr. Not Very Uplifting

The San Diego Padres are once again having a superb first half of the season. Sitting at 28-15, they are just 1.5 games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers in first place.  Just imagine what they could do with a healthy Fernando Tatis Jr. added to the lineup. Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be happening anytime soon, as per the latest Tatis update. 

According to the Padres, their superstar shortstop is still not cleared to swing a bat. That, one would surmise, would be a prerequisite for a return to the lineup. Tatis is recovering from a fractured scaphoid bone in his wrist, suffered in the offseason in a motorcycle mishap. 

He is taking ground balls and running the bases, but gripping a bat is still off the table, for now. “We’re not quite there yet,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said. “ … Hopefully sooner than later.” They continue to get medical imaging of the wrist every couple of weeks. 

#Padres are back home and so is Tatís. Fernando says he's put on 10 lbs of muscle, Bob Melvin says no update yet on when he picks up bat, waiting for imaging scans pic.twitter.com/IDorKmhhdS

— Marty Caswell (@MartyCaswell) May 23, 2022

The original timeline had Tatis returning as soon as early June, while the Padres have been targeting late June. But the latest news could mean that even July might be more realistic, according to The Athletic's injuries expert Virginia Zakas. 

"The scaphoid bone is the most important bone for mobility and stability of the wrist," writes Zakas. "Hitting and fielding hard ground balls rely on that left wrist to be strong and healthy. I’m more concerned about the hitting, though, as rotation of the left wrist is crucial at the end of a swing. 

"Tatis isn’t ready yet, and whenever he is cleared to pick up the bat again he will need 3-6 weeks to slowly ramp up."

As the calendar quickly approaches June, a return before the All-Star Break in July would seem to be a win for the Padres. 

Tatis had his 2nd consecutive Top 5 MVP finish last season, slugging 42 home runs while batting .282 with a .975 OPS.

Photo Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports