San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. reportedly underwent a second surgery on his wrist last week.
The shortstop suffered a broken left wrist prior to the start of the season and had an initial surgical procedure in March. He missed the first four months of the season due to the injury and then began an 80-game suspension in August after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported there was concern the first surgery would not hold up long term. That led to the decision to have the second procedure, during which the original screws in Tatis' wrist were replaced with a central screw. Tatis also had surgery to repair a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder in September.
"We were expecting him to be ready to go for spring training," Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller told the Union-Tribune. "The timing of the shoulder surgery and the wrist follow-up surgery should line up with the same timeline. He should be able to go for spring training."
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When Tatis will be eligible to return for a game once he has served his suspension will be determined by how far the Padres extend their postseason run.
In regard to suspensions, the Joint Drug Agreement states that "a 'game' shall include all championship season games and post-season games in which the Player would have been eligible to play..."
The Padres upset the New York Mets in the Wild Card Series and stunned the top-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series. They begin their matchup with the Philadelphia Phillies in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series on Tuesday as they continue the pursuit of their first championship.
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The deeper the Padres play into the NLCS, and perhaps the World Series, the fewer games Tatis will be required to miss when the 2023 regular season begins. Tatus was suspended for the final 48 games of the 2022 regular season and has now missed seven postseason games, bringing his time served to 55 games and counting. If the Padres are swept in the NLCS, Tatis would miss 21 regular season games in 2023 and be eligible for a return in late April.
So, the Padres playing deep into October would be beneficial in more ways than one.
Tatis agreed to a 14-year, $340 million contract extension with the Padres in February. Over his first three seasons, Tatis has hit .292 with 81 home runs and 195 RBIs, highlighted by a 42-homer season in 2021.
