Fernando Tatis Jr. will make his return to the San Diego Padres lineup on Monday against the Detroit Tigers (GameTracker), batting second and playing right field. It will mark his first appearance in a big-league game since June 21. He missed the last two-plus months on account of a stress reaction in his right thigh bone. In corresponding moves for both the 28- and 40-player rosters (remember that MLB entered roster expansion on Sunday), the Padres optioned outfielder Bryce Johnson and designated outfielder José Azocar for assignment
Tatis predicted in August that he would return in September.
"I really don't have specific dates," Tatis told reporters at the time. "I feel that's more a conversation between the training staff, the manager and myself and A.J. [Preller, the general manager]. But I'm definitely playing baseball the next month. That's what it looks like."
Tatis, 25, had put together another stellar campaign prior to suffering the injury. Over the course of 80 games, he had batted .279/.354/.468 with 14 home runs, 36 runs batted in, and eight stolen bases on 11 attempts. His 129 OPS+ stands as his best mark in that statistic since 2021, when he finished third in National League Most Valuable Player Award voting. Tatis earned his second career Silver Slugger Award that season.
The Padres entered Monday with a 78-61 record on the season, putting them five games back in the National League West and tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the top wild-card slot. (The Padres are three games up on the Atlanta Braves, who currently hold the third and final wild card spot, and four games up on the New York Mets, the first NL team outside of the playoff bracket.)
