Fernando Tatis Jr. had a completely dismal 2022. He missed the primary half of the yr following March surgical procedure to restore a left wrist fracture sustained in an offseason bike accident after which bought popped for an 80-game performance-enhancing drug suspension simply as he was getting ready to return to the Padres’ lively roster in August.
There have been a few different setbacks alongside the way in which — shoulder surgery in September and a follow-up procedure on his wrist in October — however the 24-year-old does appear to be in a very good place each bodily and mentally because the opening of spring coaching attracts close to.
“I’m actually excited,” Tatis told Kevin Acee and Annie Heilbrunn of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “I really feel like this is without doubt one of the years there’s gonna be extra emotion and I’m positively trying ahead to it. I really feel like a special story may have been if I used to be on the sector. I really feel like that was a stab to the group. I used to be aside from them. It was the primary time I ever felt that. I used to be actually heartbroken. I’ve at all times been profitable on this space and now for the primary time, I actually (messed) up. And I actually felt that.”
Tatis expects to be a full-go for spring exercises, and he anticipates being activated as quickly as he’s eligible to return from his PED suspension on April 20. For his newfound peace of thoughts and bettering general well being, he credit diving into an underwater coaching program run by former Marine Raiders within the San Diego space. Tatis has been collaborating in these exercises with Joe Musgrove, who was one of many extra vocal critics within the Padres’ personal clubhouse again when the suspension information was first introduced.
“He’s having to face one thing that he by no means has or by no means needed to face,” Musgrove stated of Tatis. “However he’s dealing with it rather well. He’s been round Petco (Park) day by day and the work ethic he’s placing in, he’s going to be prepared. Being the celebrity and the face of baseball is quite a bit to tackle. So he hasn’t put himself on the market a ton prior to now. And I really feel like now you’re beginning to see just a little bit extra of him open up.”
Tatis delivered a stellar .965 OPS with 81 house runs and 52 stolen bases throughout his first 273 main league video games between 2019-21. That works out to a 162-game common of 48 homers and 31 steals, to associate with 116 RBI and 125 runs scored. He landed a blockbuster 14-year, $340M contract extension from San Diego virtually precisely 23 months in the past. Now he’s about prepared once more to dwell as much as that high-dollar dedication and maybe assist the Padres declare the NL West crown for the primary time since 2006.
