Fernando Tatis Jr. injury update looks promising for the Padres

The San Diego Padres have been without their star outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. all season and his return timeline has been unclear. Now, he seems to be close to coming back.

The latest injury update from the San Diego Union-Tribune is that Tatis will be hitting off a live pitcher later this week and is expected to begin his rehab assignment in San Antonio early next week.

Tatis has been on a long road to recovery from his wrist fracture, and his return has been long-awaited. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, he could potentially “make his season debut when the Padres are in Los Angeles to face the Dodgers Aug. 5-7.”

That would be great news for the Padres.

Padres slugger Fernando Tatis Jr. could make his season debut in August

The Padres will have a better chance of making the playoffs, and actually doing something in them, if Tatis comes back soon. Their playoff odds are already pretty high (86.5 percent according to FanGraphs), but Tatis brings power to the lineup that nobody else in San Diego can offer.

Last season, he hit .282/.364/.611 for an OPS of .975. He also produced an isolated power of .328. This season, Manny Machado is performing most similar to Tatis in the lineup. Machado is doing extremely well, but there’s still a noticeable difference between the two.

Machado is hitting .303/.376/.517 for an OPS of .893 and has an isolated power of .214. Beyond him, the Padres lineup doesn’t have much power and that’s one area manager Bob Melvin wants to improve.

Tatis is the strongest asset to the team, and he’ll likely have a successful return considering he’s been taking the time necessary to heal. His return is highly anticipated by many, including his rivals.