The Tatis Return Game
Fernando Tatis Jr. always seems to return from injury strong, and yesterday was no exception.
This is starting to get ridiculous.
I don’t know if it’s the rest or the adrenaline or the time spent practicing or what, but Fernando Tatis Jr. appears to be at his very best when returning from absence. Let’s look back real quick before we talk about yesterday.
First time back: April 16
Fernando missed 9 games with a shoulder injury that looked serious but wasn’t (this was the one where he injured it swinging). His first game back was against the Dodgers, because of course it was, and he hit a solo HR (because of course he did) during a loss.
Second time back: May 19
This was when Tatis tested positive for COVID and had to quarantine. He missed 8 games and the team went on its longest winning streak of the season. When he returned, Fernando went 4-4 with a HR and two doubles.
Third time back: June 3
You forgot about this one, I bet. Tatis left the game two days earlier with “oblique tightness” but came back quickly. As if to prove that obliques are useless to him, Tatis went 2-4 with a HR against the Mets in his first game back.
Fourth time back: June 21
We’re back to the shoulder. This time Tatis hurt it playing defense. We collectively thought, “Oh no! Not with the Dodgers series coming up!” He apparently felt the same way, because he was back to face the Dodgers and went 2-3 with a double and two walks in this one.
Fifth time back: yesterday
Yesterday, with the Padres on the brink of total collapse, our young king returned to play a brand new position and do that thing he does with the baseball bat.
4-5 with 2 HRs and 4 RBIs after 13 games off is a real “I’ll do it myself” moment from baseball’s Thanos.
The Padres absolutely needed Tatis to show up and go nuclear. You could easily make an argument that their season is in a tailspin,. Or, I guess, was in a tailspin if Tatis is going to show up with a bum shoulder and outhit every hitter on Earth.
Yesterday’s game didn’t really fix anything, but it did provide a new path. This team will go as far as Tatis will carry them, which is usually not a winning strategy in baseball, and he’s doing so with a bad shoulder.
The good news is that it’s not just the first game back when he’s scorching hot. He usually holds onto this insane level of hitting for a few games after a return from injury, as well. It’ll be interesting to see if he can beat the Diamondbacks and the Rockies by himself over the next few days.