San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. left the game against the San Francisco Giants on Monday night after reinjuring his left shoulder in the third inning.
Tatis fell to the ground in pain after swinging at — and missing — a 2-2 curveball from Anthony DeSclafani during the third inning.
Padres waiting on MRI results
The Padres later announced that Tatis exited the game due to a partial dislocation of his shoulder joint. Tatis will undergo an MRI on Tuesday.
San Diego has yet to announce a timetable for Tatis’ return.
“It’s going to be really hard to speculate without getting the MRI and getting all those things the doctors need to look at and make a call,†Padres manager Jayce Tingler told reporters after the game.
Fernando Tatis Jr. has exited the game with an apparent elbow injury
pic.twitter.com/9UGarbBWTC— Starting 9 (@Starting9) April 6, 2021
Tatis has struggled with injury issues throughout his young career. The 22-year-old played only 84 games in his rookie year of 2019, as hamstring and back problems limited him. He’s also suffered from soreness in that left shoulder, even leaving a spring training game this March because of pain there. Tinger acknowledged that Tatis has suffered minor shoulder dislocations in the past as well.
“It comes out, it comes back in, so he’s been dealing with that,†Tingler said. “Obviously, tonight was the first time we’ve seen it in game action from swinging or anything like that.â€
The Padres lived with those injuries because of Tatis’ incredible production. In his first 148 games in the majors, Tatis has 40 home runs and has driven in 99 runs while hitting .297. Those numbers led San Diego to sign Tatis to a record-setting, 14-year contract in February.
Tatis entered year as MVP favorite
Tatis came into the season as one of the favorites to win the NL MVP award. FanDuel Sportsbook listed the shortstop as a +850 pick, behind only Juan Soto (+700), Mookie Betts (+750), and Ronald Acuna Jr. (+750). Following news of the injury, FanDuel and other oddsmakers removed Tatis from their MVP futures markets while awaiting more information on the severity of his shoulder issue.
If Tatis misses significant time, that could throw a wrench into San Diego’s plans for the season. The Padres are a +950 pick to win the World Series, tied for third-best odds with the Atlanta Braves behind only the Dodgers (+330) and Yankees (+550).
Most pundits expect San Diego to be the only threat to Los Angeles in the NL West. The Dodgers are a -440 favorite to win the division, with the Padres at +310 to upset the defending World Series champions.
Ha-Seong Kim will take the majority of starts at shortstop while Tatis recovers. The Padres signed Kim from Korea in the offseason. Kim hit .306 with 30 home runs and 109 RBIs for the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korean Baseball Organization in 2020.
