Fernando Tatis Jr Injury Update: Padres star close to swinging bat again

Fernando Tatis Jr. is throwing, getting close to catching

The San Diego Padres took a big L before the regular season started when it was revealed that Fernando Tatis Jr. had fractured his left wrist, requiring surgery and placing him on the 60-Day Injured List.

June 7 is the earliest he can return, though he says he feels that he is “going as planned – probably a little bit sooner, but we’ll see.” Not that it’s up to him; the Padres won’t let him come back until they’re more than certain.

Tatis can throw a ball now, but not catch one. He’s also running and riding the stationary bike, but he hasn’t put on a glove yet or swung a bat. The latter activity is still about three weeks away.

In the meantime, C.J. Abrams made his MLB debut, playing shortstop for the Padres. He’s 1-for-9 over his first three games. He’s platooning with Ha-seong Kim, who is 2-for-9 with an NL-leading five runs scored.

But even if their numbers continue to improve, which would be optimal, Abrams and Kim combined can’t fill the hole of Tatis’ absence; the Padres lineup is missing its most powerful bat. He led the National League with 42 home runs last season and had 135 hits in 130 games.

Coming into Tuesday, the Padres sit atop the NL West with a 4-1 record. They’re doing fine without Tatis for now, but they’d be infinitely better with him.

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