2 min read • October 18, 2022
Posted in
Ahead of the franchise’s first National League Championship Series since 1998, the Padres revealed that Fernando Tatis Jr. underwent a second surgery on his left wrist.
Tatis, who is suspended after testing positive for a banned substance, broke his left wrist during a motorcycle crash in the offseason and underwent his first surgery in late March.
This second surgery signals he likely will not be ready for spring training and he may not be ready when his suspension is up at some point in April, according to the Pro Baseball Docs. The length of his suspension depends on how deep the Padres get in the postseason.
Players serving a PED suspension can participate in spring training, but Tatis is unlikely to be ready by then.
Tatis’ second surgery reportedly removed the original screws in his wrist and replaced them with one central screw. The recovery for that type of surgery could easily stretch to six months.
The start of spring training is just five months away and next season starts March 30, 2023.
The screw will help stability and healing in the long-term, but it is unusual that the first surgery did not consist of the central screw method, according to the Pro Baseball Docs.
The use of multiple screws and necessity of a second surgery suggests that Tatis likely would have had problems even if he did return this season.
The scaphoid bone, which Tatis broke in the crash, is a notoriously slow-healing bone because of lack of blood flow. He undoubtedly had a bone graft with this recent surgery because the healing from his fracture was likely an incomplete union, according to the Pro Baseball Docs.
Tatis also underwent left shoulder surgery in late August to repair a torn labrum he had been attempting to play through since early 2021.
At this point, the Pro Baseball Docs have more confidence in his shoulder than his wrist as far as readiness for next season. Operating on a wrist fracture that is 10 months old is not typical and revision surgeries typically carry a longer recovery than the first.
The Padres have fared well without their star shortstop this season and face the Phillies in the National League Championship Series starting tonight.
San Diego is favored to win the series at -120, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The Padres are also +310 to win the World Series, the second best odds behind the Astros (+165).
A full injury preview of the matchup can be found here.
Written by
