11:29: Tatis has a fracture of the scaphoid of his left wrist, tweets Cassavell. It is possible that the injury was sustained earlier in the winter (although this remains unclear), but it escalated sharply when swinging the bat recently.
11:05: Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. He has a broken wrist and may need surgery, baseball operations president AJ Preller told reporters this morning.link to twitter via AJ Cassavella of MLB.com). Surgery is possible for Tatis, who is expected to miss up to three months to recover from his injury.
It’s a brutal blow to the Padres, who will now spend half the season without one of the game’s brightest young stars. Tatis missed time last season with a recurring shoulder subluxation but still hit .282/.364/.611 with 42 home runs in just 130 games. Tatis avoided surgery for this particular illness, but he will now be out of significant time due to a new illness.
San Diego has plenty of infield depth, although there is no replacement for a player of Tatis’ caliber. His injury could create a more stable opportunity for the former KBO star. Ha-sung Kim, who struggled to work for the Friars last year after signing a four-year, $28 million contract. The alternatives on the list include a third baseman. Manny Machadosecond baseman Jake Cronenworth and public utility Yurikson Profar — everyone has experience of shortstop in the big leagues. Twenty-one years CJ Abrams is one of the most promising players in all of baseball, but he is not yet on the 40-man roster and has yet to play above the Double-A level. However, he is in the camp as an invited non-roster, so he will have a chance to impose a hand on the team.
Of course, it is at least worth mentioning that there are several well-known short stops in the market that have not yet been signed. Both Carlos Correa as well as Trevor’s story were looking for a new home this winter and either agreed to a one-year deal that would put them on the market again next winter, or the monks could make a previously unexpected fit. There may eventually be a jam, but Tatis did spend some time in the outfield last year.
However, a match between History or Correa is extremely unlikely for several reasons. Both are looking for long-term deals and the Padres have been looking to cut the payroll as they consider trade scenarios linked to Eric Hosmer as well as Will Myers. Signing a contract with any of the free agents will require not only the refusal of a draft pick, but also a significant salary. Preller has taught us over and over to never explicitly exclude the Padres from just about any pie in the sky scenario, but it’s pretty hard to imagine Storey or Correa showing up at the Padres camp to replace Tatis.
Tatis enters the second season of an unprecedented 14-year, $340 million contract extension. He is projected to make $5 million this season with his salary rising to $7 million in 2023, $11 million in 2024, $20 million in 2025-2026, $25 million in 2027-28 and 36 million dollars a year from 2029-36.