Tatis off and running in spring debut

PEORIA, Ariz. -- It had been 17 months since Fernando Tatis Jr. last donned a Padres uniform and played a baseball game. Moments before he did so, manager Bob Melvin informed Tatis he had a green light to steal, if he were to reach base.

Tatis’ response? He revved an imaginary engine.

Sure enough, in his first plate appearance Tuesday afternoon at Scottsdale Stadium, the Padres star worked a feisty eight-pitch walk off Giants right-hander Alex Cobb. Two pitches later, Tatis was off and running.

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Tatis swiped second with relative ease, sliding feet-first (the strong preference of his employer). But Tatis' momentum carried him beyond the base. When he clasped the outside of the bag with his left hand, it was an instant test of his surgically repaired left shoulder and wrist.

Tatis stood, dusted himself off and grinned. Two pitches later, he scored easily on Jake Cronenworth's RBI triple.

"It was good to be back out there," a still-grinning Tatis said a couple of hours later. "... Felt amazing. It's part of my game. I'm going to keep doing it, and we created a run that way."

Tatis' spring debut ended after three plate appearances as designated hitter in the Padres’ 7-5 victory over San Francisco. In his second plate appearance, he grounded sharply back to the pitcher. In his third, he struck out.

It has been quite an off-field roller-coaster for Tatis since the last time he played a game for the Padres -- Oct. 3, 2021 (coincidentally, against the Giants, as well). He fractured his wrist in a motorcycle accident. He was suspended 80 games after a positive PED test. He underwent a trio of surgeries -- two on his wrist and one on his shoulder.

"I definitely sat down and thought a little bit of what happened to me all this time," Tatis said. "I'm just grateful to be back here, just appreciating every moment."

There are still quite a few hurdles for Tatis to clear. He's yet to make his defensive debut. Tatis has worked exclusively as an outfielder this spring, and with Xander Bogaerts at shortstop, he’s bound to spend the season as the team's primary right fielder.

Tatis will have all spring to acclimate to his new position -- and early reports are positive. But once Tatis' spring is over, he still has 20 games remaining on his PED suspension. Tatis isn't eligible to return until April 20.

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Clearly, Tatis has made amends in San Diego. He was contrite in the wake of his suspension, and has been wholly welcomed back by his teammates and the Padres’ fan base this spring.

On the road? Tatis has said he's not sure what to expect. It's hard to use a midweek Cactus League game as a gauge. But responses were mixed on Tuesday. When Tatis was introduced at Scottsdale Stadium, he received mostly cheers (from the sizeable contingent of Padres fans in attendance) but a smattering of boos.

"I heard a little of everything," Tatis said. "I mean, nothing I haven't heard before."

Next up, Tatis gets the day off Wednesday, before he’s scheduled to play right field for the first time against the Mariners at Peoria Stadium.

The Padres are still doing their best to strike a balance with Tatis -- reacclimating him to a game setting, while simultaneously preserving his health. So far, so good.

“He looked great,” Melvin said. “You’d think he’d just be over-eager and swinging at everything. But he didn’t. Draws a walk, steals second base. On a really good throw, too, he steals second sliding feet-first. So I think just getting the first game out of the way is exciting for him.

“Shoot, he looked like he did before. … He was excited about getting out there and doing his thing, because when you’re that kind of a talent, you don’t want to take a guy’s instincts away from him.”

It shouldn’t be lost, of course, that this was Melvin’s very first time talking about Tatis’ skill set in anything but a hypothetical. This was Melvin, the Padres’ second-year manager, talking about Tatis in the context of a game that Tatis had actually just played.

"First time on the lineup card for my manager," Tatis said afterward. "We were talking about: It's been a long time for both of us waiting for that moment. Like I mentioned, it just felt great to be out there."