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It's been a long time coming, but Fernando Tatis Jr. finally rejoins the Padres tonight in Arizona.

Hasn't been quite so long for Joe Musgrove. But he's back this weekend, too.

And -- you know what? -- it's a good thing for the Padres that they'll be adding two of their best players to their roster. Because suddenly this weekend's series against the D-backs feels like a big one.

OK, OK, it's April. Still, the Padres have struggled out of the gate, and they also struggled to handle the Arizona running game when the two squared off at Petco Park earlier this season. The upstart D-backs are off to a fast start and currently sit in first place in the NL West. They'll be looking to make a statement of their own.

"It's going to be a lot more intense series against Arizona this year, especially with their ability to run and some of their guys finding form as hitters," said Musgrove. "It's definitely a different team than it was last year. So it's going to be an exciting series, especially with me and Tati coming back."

Good timing indeed. Tatis is slated to return from his 80-game PED suspension on Thursday night, with the San Diego offense having scored just two runs in the past four games.

The Padres are adamant that Tatis' return won't cure everything that ails the offense. But it certainly can't hurt.

"Just his name, man," said Xander Bogaerts. "His name, his presence -- that goes a long way. … He could do a lot of different stuff. He's dynamic."

Bogaerts, who has spent part of the first few weeks hitting leadoff, will shift to the cleanup spot on a more permanent basis.

Meanwhile, Juan Soto and Manny Machado have begun to show signs of life at the plate in the 2 and 3 spots. They might be poised for a breakout. If so, that'll be quite a quartet at the top of the Padres' lineup -- together in a regular-season game for the very first time.

"We're more than excited to see him back," Soto said. "He's amazing. He's going to bring a lot of energy for us and a lot of stuff that we need."

As for Musgrove, his return is slated for Saturday. He fractured his left big toe in February and was hopeful for a faster return before he endured a minor setback during his first rehab start.

After a 9-11 start to the season, the Padres have been looking for a spark. They’ll get a couple of them this weekend -- against an NL West rival, no less.

"It doesn't matter who we play,” said Machado. “Just having them back in the lineup is going to be huge for the team, huge for the organization. It's been a long time coming."