PITTSBURGH -- Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. exited Friday night’s 9-4 victory against Pittsburgh after getting hit on the forearm during his third-inning at-bat. He was diagnosed with a left arm contusion and X-rays were negative.
Manager Mike Shildt and team trainers quickly went out to check on the two-time All-Star, before removing him from the game. He was replaced on the basepaths by Oscar Gonzalez.
“I feel good, just a little bit sore,” said Tatis, who had his forearm bandaged up in the clubhouse after the game. “Bones came out good, so I’m going to sleep on it, see how it feels tomorrow and go from there.”
Tatis is off to arguably the best start of his career through 30 games, batting .345 with eight home runs and 18 RBIs. He also ranks third across MLB in OPS (1.021), sixth in on-base percentage (.419) and sixth in slugging percentage (.602). Shildt recognizes that -- at least from the initial examination -- the club escaped disaster in the form of a more serious injury to its star slugger.
“Clearly, it looks like we dodged a potential bullet,” the second-year Padres skipper said. “I mean, [he] didn't dodge it all the way, got nicked really hard. … That thing was swelling like right in front of our eyes. It was just getting bigger as we were looking at it. Thankfully, the initial X-rays were negative and talking to him, it’s a pretty severe contusion, and he’ll sleep on it and we’ll see what it looks like tomorrow.”
Injuries to the forearm and wrist are common on hit-by-pitches, but Tatis said he didn't want to immediately assume the worst.
“There were a lot of things going on quickly, so I didn't want to get ahead of myself,” Tatis said. “Just wishing [for] the best.”
Just a month into the season, San Diego has already been hit as hard by the injury bug as any team across the league, battling notable absences from both position players and pitchers. While the club just welcomed back Luis Arraez and Jason Heyward from the IL, starting outfielder Jackson Merrill (right hamstring strain) hasn't played since April 6 -- but is set to begin his rehab assignment for Double-A San Antonio on Saturday -- and veteran right-handed pitcher Yu Darvish (right elbow inflammation) hasn't appeared in a game this season.
Stil, those healthy have held their own despite the absences. And it hasn't always been the same players stepping up in each game. In Friday night’s victory, the Padres totaled 14 hits in Tatis’ absence. Gavin Sheets finished 3-for-5 with a home run, Tyler Wade finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and Gonzalez tallied a hit and scored a run after he came in for Tatis.
“It’s beautiful,” Tatis said. “It’s a good team, so it’s a really good sign to see.”
Friday night kicked off a nine-game road trip for San Diego that starts a favorable schedule through the month of May. If the Padres capitalize, it could set them up favorably for a critical stretch of divisional games in June.
“We’ve got good players,” Shildt said. “They’re really talented, they’re prepared, they’re aware of situations, they play the game. We’ve got good continuity with our group and how we compete.”