Tatis Jr. underwent shoulder surgery in September and per Lin, had his second wrist surgery in October. After a motorcycle accident, he had his first wrist procedure in March 2022 and was expected to return to action at some point last summer.
In August, however, the 24-year-old was suspended 80 games for violating Major League Baseball’s performance-enhancing drug policy. He isn’t eligible to return until April 20, meaning he’ll miss at least the first 32 games of the 2023 campaign.
Tatis Jr. missed the entire 2022 season and since his last time putting on a Padres uniform, the roster has undergone a makeover on offense and gained some serious talent. When Tatis Jr. last played, he was the team’s starting shortstop and shared the left side of the infield with All-Star third baseman Manny Machado.
The team signed former Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts to a massive 11-year, $280 million contract in December, and Tatis Jr. is expected to move to the outfield to accommodate the addition of “X.” San Diego also traded for two-time All-Star outfielder Juan Soto in August.
Per Spotrac, the Padres have Machado and Tatis Jr. signed through the 2029 and 2035 seasons respectively, with Machado earning an average salary of $30 million per year and Tatis Jr. collecting over $24 million per year. Tatis Jr. signed his record 14-year contract extension in February 2021 and led the league with 42 home runs in 130 games to earn his second consecutive Silver Slugger Award that season.
