2 min read • May 24, 2022
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Now 42 games into the season, Fernando Tatis Jr. has yet to be cleared to swing a bat.
Despite the loss of their star shortstop, the Padres have jumped out to a 27-14 start, the third best record in the National League, on the backs of Manny Machado and stellar pitching from the starters and bullpen.
Machado leads the league in batting average (.374) and hits (58) to go along with 8 home runs and 27 RBIs, providing the offense the Padres have needed in Tatis' absence.
Tatis is still roughly a month away from returning, and that represents the best-case scenario, according to our panel of Pro Baseball Docs.
The 23-year-old was scheduled to undergo a CT scan Monday on his surgically repaired left wrist. His last scan reportedly showed progress in his healing and the hope is the latest scan will clear him to grip a bat and begin swinging again.
When the injury was revealed in mid-March, our team of Pro Baseball Docs detailed why a return in mid-to-late June would be great news for Tatis and the Padres.
The 2021 All-Star is recovering from a fractured scaphoid bone in his left wrist. That bone is notoriously slow to heal because of lack of blood flow and it's no guarantee he returns by late June.
Tatis' left shoulder also remains a concern. He missed 30 games last season and his shoulder subluxed five different times, including three times during the regular season.
Despite all of those incidents, Tatis reportedly did not get shoulder surgery to address the labrum issue in the offseason.
He instead chose to strengthen the muscles around the labrum to prevent the injury from reoccurring, but the Pro Baseball Docs believe that is a short-term fix.
Padres World Series Odds
The Padres are +370 to win the NL West over the Dodgers and are at +1700 to win the World Series, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Check out the Padres depth around the diamond below:
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