MLB fans react to Fernando Tatis Jr. taking batting practice with San Diego Padres: "Really missed watching him" "No more beautiful sound"
San Diego Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. is back in the batting cage, and fans could not be happier.
Tatis, who had a troublesome 2022 season, is likely ready to put last year behind him and begin anew in 2023.
After a stellar 2021 that saw Tatis play in his first All-Star Game, win a Silver Slugger Award and finish third in the National League MVP voting, it all came crashing down in 2022.
Finally, Fernando Tatis Jr is taking BP!. 🔥🔥🔥 https://t.co/dB4lC4cKIz
Tatis lost his entire 2022 season after fracturing his wrist in an offseason motorcycle accident before then drawing an 80-game suspension for a positive PED test just as he was nearing a return from rehab. He released a statement saying the positive test was due to a ringworm treatment he was taking.
The suspension means Tatis will not be able to return to the baseball diamond until April 20 at the earliest, but simply seeing the 24-year-old back in the batting cage was enough to soothe many a Padres fan. The video seems to show the star being in good shape after also having offseason surgery to fully fix a shoulder injury suffered in 2021.
Yes! Really missed watching him play. twitter.com/hgomez27/statu…
twitter.com/hgomez27/statu…No more beautiful sound than this 😍 twitter.com/hgomez27/statu…
Come back stronger than ever. twitter.com/hgomez27/statu…
Of course, Fernando Tatis Jr. has always shown an interesting taste in style, and his initial appearance in the batting cage was complete with a set of intriguing Padres throwback jersey shorts. Fans were split on whether it was an eye-catching look.
Goddamn, I want those Padres shorts. twitter.com/hgomez27/statu…
Those shorts are something. twitter.com/hgomez27/statu…
@hgomez27 The shorts are too short lol https://t.co/weryf7N9ZV
Of course, Tatis' appearance gave some fans a chance to poke and prod the player with a career WAR of 13.6 over the travails of his lost 2022 season.
@hgomez27 @Buster_ESPN Just hope he doesn’t start taking steroids (“accidentally”)
@hgomez27 Did he arrive for BP on his motorcycle? #clown
@hgomez27 @Buster_ESPN Glad the ringworm is cleared up
Tatis played the vast bulk of his major league career as a shortstop for the Padres from 2019-2021. However, with San Diego signing shortstop Xander Bogaerts this winter, Tatis is likely headed to right field when he returns to the lineup this season. Time will tell whether Tatis will have difficulties defensively with the move.
He’s already made 2 errors. twitter.com/hgomez27/statu…
Fernando Tatis Jr. "definitely looking forward" to 2023
After being forced to watch the San Diego Padres advance to the National League Championship Series from the bench last season, Fernando Tatis Jr. is "really excited" to return to the team in 2023.
"I feel like this is one of the years there's gonna be more emotion, and I'm definitely looking forward to it," he told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "I'm definitely looking forward to just being back on the field."