Everything you need to know about Tatis' return

SAN DIEGO -- For 563 days, Fernando Tatis Jr. didn't get to play baseball for the Padres. On Thursday -- one suspension and three surgeries later -- he does.

Tatis will make his long-awaited return on Thursday night in Arizona, with his 80-game PED suspension at an end.

The Padres get an MVP-caliber player back in the leadoff spot and in right field (Tatis’ new position with the arrival of shortstop Xander Bogaerts). Tatis, meanwhile, one of the game’s most beloved superstars when he last set foot on a big league field, returns to a different landscape. He’s made it clear he doesn’t know what to expect.

“I’m just looking forward,” Tatis said in February at Padres FanFest. “I’ve really learned from what happened to me in the last year. I’m really looking forward to redeeming myself.”

Here’s what you need to know about Tatis’ return.

A quick recap
Tatis fractured his left wrist in a motorcycle accident in December 2021 and underwent surgery before the season that ruled him out for at least the first three months. During his lengthy recovery, Tatis tested positive for Clostebol, a performance enhancing substance.

The positive test occurred last July, and after Tatis decided not to appeal, he was suspended for 80 games beginning in August. Tatis claimed he took Clostebol as part of a medication to treat a skin infection without checking with team doctors.

"At the end of the day, there's no excuses," Tatis said last summer. "I need to do a way better job on what is going inside my body. There's no excuses on these actions. … It was a stupid mistake. It was me being reckless."

What’s Tatis’ health status?
The last time we saw Tatis, he was posting MVP-caliber numbers in 2021 -- while also missing time on multiple occasions because of a balky left shoulder. Tatis initially opted against surgery. But after his suspension, he underwent shoulder repair. It’s an operation that has proven tricky for several other big leaguers, but Tatis has said his shoulder feels 100 percent -- and significantly better than it did when he hit 42 homers with a .975 OPS in ’21.

As for his wrist, Tatis had a second operation on it last October -- a procedure designed to strengthen the joint and ensure its long-term stability. Tatis has said his wrist has fully healed as well.

Part of the impetus behind Tatis’ move to right field was that the Padres preferred to ease him back after three surgeries. But given his performance in Spring Training, manager Bob Melvin has said there won’t be any restrictions on Tatis. (That means, yes, the Padres plan to let him loose on the basepaths after they curtailed his aggressiveness late in 2021 due to health concerns.)

What's he been doing?
After two weeks with Triple-A El Paso, Tatis rejoined the Padres on Monday. He was permitted to work out with the team, but, per the terms of his suspension, he left the ballpark before gates opened.

Tatis formally rejoined the club during Spring Training. He started slowly -- perhaps to be expected after such a prolonged absence. But after an 0-for-16 start in the Cactus League, he batted .462 the rest of the way with a pair of homers. He stayed scorching hot during his allotted rehab stint, batting an absurd .515/.590/1.212 -- including 11-for-16 with six homers in his final three games with El Paso.

So, yes, he appears ready.

What's the reaction from teammates?
Amid last August’s whirlwind, a handful of Tatis’ teammates expressed their disappointment. The Padres were in a playoff race and would be without the services of perhaps their most talented player.

After Tatis’ apology and his spring return, the tone has shifted.

“He’s a big part of this team,” Manny Machado said earlier this spring. “He’s a big part of this organization. We’re going to be there with him through the whole way.”

Said right-hander Joe Musgrove: “We know that it’s not going to be easy trekking for him on the road. He’s going to hear it from the fans and whatnot. But we’re here to support him. I think in this room, we’ve all moved past it, and we’re accepting him for who he is moving forward and the things that he’s done to put himself in a position to return. … We’re all really excited to have him back.”

What's the response from fans?
Full-throated support in San Diego -- that much is already clear based on fan reaction during FanFest and Spring Training.

On the road? TBD. Fan reactions during Spring Training were mostly ambivalent. There was only one place he was booed rather heartily -- at Camelback Ranch, the spring home of the Dodgers.

"It's going to be one of the most emotional years, I feel like, in my career," Tatis said in February. "I'm ready to embrace that."

What to expect from Tatis?
Hard to say. There aren't many precedents for a player of his caliber missing an entire season's worth of games. He’s only the third player since World War II to finish top three in MVP voting then miss the entire next season.

As such, the Padres are doing their best to limit expectations for his return, even if they acknowledge what Tatis is capable of.

“There’s obviously a high expectation level,” Melvin said. “But you do have to temper it, knowing that he basically hasn’t played in a year and a half.

"He is also a very special talent. So nothing would surprise me.”