Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr hits three homers in Triple-A game as shortstop is set to make MLB comeback from 80-game PED ban
- Tatis, 24, went five for six with a double and drove in eight runs in total for El Paso
- The Dominican’s also coming back from several injuries (shoulder and wrist)
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Fernando Tatis Jr hit three home runs in a Triple-A game, as he nears his return to MLB action following an 80-game performance-enhancing drug suspension that forced him to miss the entirety of the 2022 season.
A week prior to his earliest eligibility to return for the Padres (April 20), the 24-year-old shortstop shone for San Diego’s minor league team, the El Paso Chihuahuas, as he went five for six with a double along with his three homers.
In total, the Dominican drove in eight runs, proving to be the difference maker in his team’s 19-6 win against the Albuquerque Isotopes.
His latest outing was all the more impressive, considering that he’s also coming back from several surgeries (wrist and shoulder).
Tatis, who faced cheating allegations last week, came into Thursday night’s game with a .353/.522/.588 batting line with one homer, six walks and two strikeouts in five Triple-A games.
Fernando Tatis Jr is in red-hot form in his latest outings for San Diego Padres’ Triple-A team, the El Paso Chihuahuas. The 24-year-old shortstop is just a week away from returning from his 80-game PED ban and last played for the Padres in October 2021
His last three-homer play Thursday boosted his slash line to a solid .478/.586/1.087.
Statcast measured Tatis’ first homer at 451 feet, according to CBS Sports. His other two didn’t go as far, respectively flying for 418 feet and 362 feet.
An All-Star at shortstop in 2021 who has won two Silver Slugger Awards, Tatis will play right field when he’s back in the big leagues. During his lengthy ban, the Padres signed shortstop Xander Bogaerts to a $280million, 11-year free agent contract in early December.
Tatis will join a lineup that also includes Manny Machado and Juan Soto. The Padres are one of many favorites to reach the World Series this year, following the team’s NL Championship Series display last season.
Tatis brought a swagger to the Padres in his first three seasons. He unleashed an emphatic bat flip after hitting his second home run in an 11-9 win in Game 2 of the wild-card series against the Cardinals in 2020 and a photo of Tatis in that moment was on the cover of the video game MLB The Show ’21.
After homering against Trevor Bauer at Dodger Stadium in April 2021, Tatis briefly covered his right eye with his right hand after rounding first base to troll Bauer, who pitched with one eye closed in a bit of bravado that spring training.
Tatis hit an NL-high 42 homers that season and will now look forward to finally hitting the ball out of the park for the Padres when they face the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-game series, starting on April 20.
Tatis played for the Padres in spring training games before the start of the 2023 season. Seen at bat against the Seattle Mariners on March 27, 2023
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