Injured Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. says he will play again this season; will it be as an outfielder?

Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr., who has been out since July 30 with a recurrence of left shoulder problems, told reporters on Friday he would “definitely” play again this season. Tatis is eligible to drop off the injured list on Tuesday, and as Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes, he is expected to be activated at some point soon after he becomes eligible. for the first time.

Acee also writes about another intriguing subplot related to Tatis’ serialized shoulder issues – a possible change of position. Tatis took flies in the outfield and, according to Acee, general manager AJ Preller didn’t exactly talk about a positional chance when asked about it:

“Right now the idea is to see if he can get back on the pitch and then we’ll think of something else after that.”

This, of course, would have been a good opportunity for Preller to dismiss any discussion of Tatis moving to the middle of the field, but he let the opportunity slip by. Tatis himself was a bit suspicious when asked to move to the outfield, as Acee’s story goes.

The injury is to Tatis’ non-throwing shoulder, which means the shortstop shouldn’t be inherently dangerous for him on that front. However, the organization might think that removing him from the more rigorous post other than receiver could help him stay healthier overall. This is of course a reasonable goal given that Tatis is under contract at San Diego until 2034. Additionally, the Padres might believe Tatis is better suited at center, where his excellent sprinting speed could be more directly exploited. Obviously, the idea of ​​such a movement is under study. With figures like Jake Cronenworth and Ha-Seong Kim on the active roster, the Padres can afford to let Tatis get away from the shortstop.

Whatever the future, the Padres need Tatis’s bat in the lineup as they try to stay within range of the first-place Giants in the NL West and hang on for second place. wild card. Tatis this season is beating .292 / .373 / .651, and despite the missed time, he still leads the NL in home runs (31) and stolen goals (23).