Padres: 3 immediate roster moves to replace Fernando Tatis Jr.

Ha-Seong Kim, Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres

 (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

The San Diego Padres will be without Fernando Tatis Jr. for the rest of the 2022 season and the first month of the 2023 season due to a PED suspension. Who will replace him?

The San Diego Padres were hit with the crushing news that they will be without Fernando Tatis Jr. for the rest of the season, for the playoffs, and into the 2023 season due to an 80-game PED suspension.

Tatis Jr. has yet to play a single game in the majors this season but the Padres’ star shortstop will not play a single game this year due to a PED suspension. He has been on the injured list since Spring Training due to a fractured wrist that required surgery.

Tatis was on the mend and about to return to the majors but now, he will be done for the year. With 48 games left in the season for the Padres, he will miss the rest of this year, the postseason and the first 32 games of next season.

When healthy, he is one of the best players in baseball. In 2021, he came in third in NL MVP voting so it will be a daunting task to replace him but here are three replacements for Fernando Tatis Jr.

3 replacements for Padres star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr.

1) Ha-Seong Kim

While Fernando Tatis Jr. has been out for the 2022 season, Ha-Seong Kim has replaced him in large part. While he hasn’t been Tatis at the plate, he has been an adequate replacement.

On the season, Kim has played in 104 games and he is hitting .247/.324/.371 with six home runs, 39 RBI, and 19 doubles. Overall, he has an OPS+ of 101. Defensively, between shortstop and third base, he has 9 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and 9 Outs Above Average (OAA). That latter is tied for 10th-highest in all of baseball among infielders and outfielders.

Defensively, he’s actually an upgrade over Tatis Jr. but he is nowhere near him offensively.

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