Star right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. was brought off the 60-day injured list by the San Diego Padres on Monday after being out for over two months due to a stress reaction in his right thighbone.
He went 0 for 4 but managed to move two runners during a two-run eighth inning in a 3-0 victory against the Detroit Tigers.
Tatis last played on June 21 and was placed on the injured list on June 24, with the placement backdated to June 22.
He received cheers when the lineups were announced and again as he ran out to his defensive position at the start of the game, where he acknowledged the fans and clapped.
“It’s a beautiful feeling, man,” he said. “I wish I could put it into words, but I had goosebumps, and my energy went right through the roof. And that was the push that I definitely needed and it was just beautiful all the way around.”
He spent the previous week training at the team’s spring training facility in Arizona.
Tatis was warmly welcomed back in the clubhouse, including a big hug from center fielder Jackson Merrill, who is a top contender for NL Rookie of the Year.
“I’m in a really good place right now,” Tatis said before the game. “It’s not 100%, but I’ve been cleared by the doctors and I feel really good moving forward. I feel really confident and I feel like I can do anything out there on the baseball field.”
When he was first placed on the IL, Tatis mentioned that he had been struggling with the injury for most of the season. Initially thought to be a quadriceps issue, imaging later revealed it was a stress reaction.
The Padres have moved ahead of Arizona into the NL’s first wild-card spot.
“I’m really excited to just come and join the squad,” Tatis said. “Just add a little bit more to what this group has been doing.
I said the day I was going down this is a special group and I know they’re going to be playing good baseball, and the boys have been handling it the right way.”
