San Diego Padres star right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. took batting practice on the field Friday and said he plans to return in September from a stress reaction in his right thighbone that has kept him out for two months.
“It felt really good just being outside with the boys, ramping up. Every day a step closer,” Tatis said before the Padres played the New York Mets in the second game of their four-game series.
Tatis hasn’t played since June 21 and was placed on the injured list on June 24, retroactive to June 22.
Manager Mike Shildt mentioned on Thursday that there was a “looser timeline” for Tatis’ return.
“I really don’t have specific dates,” Tatis said. “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 next month. That’s what it looks like.”
On the day he was put on the IL, Tatis said he had been dealing with the injury for most of the season. It was initially called a quadriceps injury, but the team later discovered the stress reaction after imaging.
Tatis won the NL Gold Glove and Platinum Glove awards last year in his first season as a right fielder.
He was an All-Star at shortstop in 2021 before missing the 2022 season due to injury and a PED suspension.
When he went on the IL, Tatis was hitting .279 with 14 home runs and 36 RBIs. “I feel way better,” Tatis said Friday. “Every day we ramp up, I get more of my legs under myself.”
He has been hitting in the indoor cage and said his next step will be working on defense.
