When Will Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. Return? MRI Result Accelerates Timetable
The San Diego Padres received good news regarding Fernando Tatis Jr.’s right femoral stress reaction. Although his MRI didn’t reveal a completely healed leg, it was encouraging enough for him to resume baseball activities.
“The MRI was favorable,” manager Mike Shildt said. “It’s still there — the actual stress reaction. But a lot of the swelling and the fluid is pretty well gone. That is obviously a positive, so he’s able to swing the bat and do some light lower-half exercises.”
Tatis will begin a full ramp-up once his leg is completely healed and he will have a better idea of what his return timetable looks like when he has another round of imaging done in two weeks.
The right fielder has been out since June 21, but has been swinging and playing catch. He will ratchet up his volume and intensity but his return to the lineup is almost certainly not happening until at least mid-August.
Shildt said he doesn’t anticipate Tatis needing much time to build back to game shape.
Tatis had been feeling discomfort in his leg since early April. Despite it, he hit .279 with 14 home runs and trailed only teammate Jurickson Profar in Wins Above Replacement among National League outfielders.
The Padres enter Monday in a three-team tie for the final NL Wild Card spot but if they continue playing well and get Tatis back on time, they should be a lock for the postseason.
Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. Despite being raised in the South, her sports obsession has always been in Los Angeles. She is currently a staff writer for the LA Sports Report Network.
According to The Athletic’s Dennis Lin, Darvish threw live batting practice Sunday at a San Diego-area high school.
Lin reported that Darvish has been working out and throwing on his own since he went on the restricted list July 6 and according to multiple observers the starting pitcher “appeared healthy and in good form.”
Darvish reportedly hasn’t told the team whether he plans to return this season, but the throwing sessions indicate there could be some interest.
“We haven’t closed the door on anything,” president of baseball operations A.J. Preller said late last month. “I have a conversation with Yu every few days and just kind of see where things are at. … I think he’ll let us know that when he feels like he’s in a spot from a personal situation that he can put his attention back on the team, he’ll go from there with it.”
Padres manager Mike Shildt told Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune he’s been in touch with Darvish via interpreter Shingo Horie.
“Shingo has been saying he’s been doing well from a personal standpoint,” Shildt said. “I have not asked one thing about how what he was doing from a baseball perspective but did hear (he threw). He’s feeling good enough to organize his own live batting practices and back to a healthy standpoint to be able to do that.
“Clearly that’s encouraging for him, physically, but my intent for Yu Darvish is how he’s doing as a human.”
Before going on the IL, Darvish had a 3.20 ERA in 11 starts.
General manager A.J. Preller didn’t go out and splurge at the trade deadline for starting pitching because he anticipated the return of Joe Musgrove and hoped Darvish would be ready to come back at some point before the playoffs.
As of now, ace Dylan Cease, Musgrove and deadline acquisition Martín Pérez are the only active members of the Padres’ starting rotation who have postseason experience. Darvish has the most postseason appearances of any Padres starter, with 11.
Because Darvish is on the restricted list, he is not required to receive compensation. If that holds true, the Padres have saved close to $3 million (and counting) in salary. He is in the second year of of a six-year, $108 million contract extension.
