Padres Give Exciting Fernando Tatis Jr. Spring Training Update

One of the biggest storylines of Spring Training is the return of Fernando Tatis Jr., who missed all of 2022 due to a motorcycle injury and a PED suspension.

Baseball fans have been wondering for a while now when he would return to action, and now they finally have an answer.

Fernando Tatis Jr. News

According to San Diego Padres manager Bob Melvin, Tatis will make his Spring Training debut on Tuesday against the San Francisco Giants. He'll be limited to DH duty, however, and will not play the field.

Still, this is an encouraging update for the Padres and a big step in Tatis' recovery. Melvin mentioned last week that he's looking to ease Tatis back into action and not ramp him up too quickly after so much time away from the game. The All-Star shortstop isn't eligible to make his regular-season debut until April 20, so San Diego has plenty of time to get him ready for the 2023 campaign.

Even if Tatis isn't playing the field, it will still be exciting to see him at the plate. He's been one of the best hitters in baseball so far in his career, leading the National League in home runs in 2021 and slashing .292/.369/.596 through his first three seasons.

While Tatis will likely hear some boos for violating MLB's performance-enhancing drug policy, he'll also probably get some cheers from Padres fans who are eager to have him back. The team advanced to the NLCS without him last year and has legitimate championship aspirations in 2023. San Diego currently has the sixth-best World Series odds (+1000) on FanDuel Sportsbook, as having a healthy Tatis will be a major boost this year.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.