Fernando Tatis Jr., who is scheduled to return to the Padres on Thursday, had another big game Saturday night as part of his rehab assignment with San Diego’s Triple-A affiliate, the El Paso Chihuahuas. Tatis followed up his three-homer performance with two more homers in a four-hit show against the Albuquerque Isotopes Thursday.
Tatis, 24, recorded a hit in his first three at-bats before landing in the sixth. Prior to that groundout, he had one hit in eight consecutive at-bats. This stretch included six extra base hits (five of which were homers) and 10 runs hit. Tatis competed on Saturday night with a .478/.586/1.087 in his 29 plate appearances.
Tatis, who played at right field again on Saturday, is close to completing an 80-game suspension prompted by a failed performance-enhancing drug test. (In an odd fold, the Padres’ playoff contests from last year counted toward his suspension, hastening his return.) He’s allowed to play rehab games because he’s also returning from wrist and shoulder surgeries. The combination of the suspension and those injuries has kept him from appearing in a regular-season game since October 2021.
The Padres line-up has changed significantly since then. Outfielder Juan Soto was acquired from the Washington Nationals last July, and shortstop Xander Bogaerts was signed this winter. The addition of the latter means Tatis will likely spend most of his time in the outfield, where he can put his speed within a good range and limit his tendency to uncork wild throws.
The Padres, 8-8 young season, will wrap up their series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday. They will host the Atlanta Braves for three games to open the new week before heading to Arizona — with Tatis in tow — to begin a four-game set against the Diamondbacks on Thursday.