Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports)
San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. announced his return from the injured list with a bomb against the Diamondbacks. And it’s not the first time.
Fernando Tatis Jr. returned from the injured list on Sunday. If you thought he might need some time to ease back into things, think again.
The Padres star wasted no time reminding fans why he’s such a force in the sport.
In the third inning against the Diamondbacks, Tatis Jr. smashed a home run 416 feet into the left field bleachers.
This is the time he’s come back from the IL and hit a home run. He did it on April 16 against the Dodgers and on May 19 against the Rockies.
Fernando Tatis Jr. had a red hot bat in his return to action for the Padres
The home run came on his second at-bat of the outing. Tatis Jr. led off the game with a double.
But wait! There’s more. He went yard again in the top of the fifth to put San Diego back on top, 2-1.
If you’re the Padres, you love Tatis Jr. making an immediate impact. You’d also probably prefer he didn’t have to keep doing it. Three trips to the IL this season have been three too many.
San Diego needs Tatis Jr.’s help right now. They have lost five in a row and find themselves 10 games out of first place in the NL West.
The division doesn’t look like it’s in the cards and the playoffs aren’t assured. While the Padres currently occupy a wild card place, the Reds are two games back and the Cardinals, Phillies and Mets will be gunning for a chance to sneak in themselves. San Diego can’t afford many slip-ups. This latest losing streak can’t snowball into an opening for those challengers.