Padres News: Yu Darvish rehab, Profar’s recent struggles, Tatis Jr. injury update

While the San Diego Padres left St. Louis somewhat disappointed as they had to settle for a tough luck series split with the Cardinals, they are still in great shape. The Padres have a strong hold on a wild card spot in the National League and are only five games back in the division. It would be nice if the Dodgers and Diamondbacks would decide to lose some games here and there, but you can only control that so much.

In addition to being in a strong position heading into the final month of the 2024 regular season, San Diego is finally starting to get fully healthy again which should make the rest of the league very, very afraid down the stretch.

Padres' Yu Darvish to throw four innings during rehab on Friday

Yu Darvish's return to the Padres from the restricted list was celebrated by fans far and wide. However, that was only part of the puzzle. Darvish had been out of action for a while and it was unclear how quickly he would be able to ramp back up enough to be able to start for San Diego down the stretch.

We have gotten some more clarity now that Darvish has been throwing again. The current plan seems to be that he will throw four innings against live batters at the Padres' complex in Arizona on Friday or Saturday (it sounds like probably Friday). Assuming that goes well, there is a strong chance that his next appearance will be a minor league rehab and the team will go from there. Right now, it looks like a mid-September return for Darvish is very much in the cards.

Jurickson Profar's August is raising some concerning questions for Padres

Profar's performance at the plate with the Padres this season has been a huge part of the team's success in 2024. His 140 wRC+ ranks fifth in the National League. Without him and Jackson Merrill, it is likely that San Diego doesn't go very far this season. However, the story with Profar has taken a concerning turn over the last month.

Since Aug. 1, Profar is slashing just .198/.316/.365. Getting hit by nine pitches this month probably hasn't helped much beyond a nice boost to his on-base percentage, but Profar's slump couldn't have come at a worst time for the Padres. Profar's knee issues did create some concern earlier this season and one wonders if he is feeling pretty banged up down the stretch here.

Padres News: Fernando Tatis Jr. on verge of return after successful rehab

One thing that isn't talked about enough with this Padres team is just how much better they could be once Fernando Tatis Jr. returns. Tatis Jr. is a MVP-level talent when he is right, and when word got out that he was likely to return from the stress reaction in his leg this season fans were understandably excited.

Since then, there has been a lot of "Tatis Jr. is still progressing" sort of injury updates. However, things are ramping up for him nowadays as he has gotten "dozens" of at-bats against live pitching at the Padres' training complex without any setbacks. If that trend holds and the Padres follow through with the idea that he doesn't need a minor league rehab assignment, Tatis Jr. could be back within the first couple weeks of September.

More Padres News from Friars on Base