San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. underwent surgery on his broken left wrist on Wednesday, according to multiple reports.
Tatis may have sustained the injury during a motorcycle accident in the Dominican Republic three months ago, though he reportedly did not begin to feel the effects of the fracture until about a month ago, when he began ramping up for the start of the new season. General manager A.J. Preller said earlier this week that he’s expected to miss three months.
The 23-year-old played in a career-high 130 games in 2021, his third major league season, and led the National League with 42 home runs. He batted .282 with 97 RBIs and 25 steals and was third in National League MVP voting.
Tatis’ production was solid despite two separate stints on the injured list because of shoulder issues. But he opted not to have offseason surgery, instead deciding to undergo rehab.
In 273 career games, Tatis has a .292 batting average with 81 home runs and 195 RBIs. He was a first-time All-Star in 2021 after finishing fourth in NL MVP voting during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, and he signed a 14-year, $330 million contract with the Padres during spring training last year.
San Diego may open the season with 26-year-old Ha-Seong Kim at shortstop. The South Korean batted .202 with eight homers and 34 RBIs in 117 games last season, his first in the major leagues.
–Field Level Media