There is no real clarity regarding where Fernando Tatis Jr. will play in 2023.
"On the field," Padres President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller said Tuesday.
That's enough for now, the Padres say, after the erstwhile face of the franchise missed the entirety of the 2022 season.
There is time to determine definitively whether Tatis' primary position continues to be shortstop of whether he is moved to center field or elsewhere. He is currently months away from being able to play catch or swing a bat and won't be allowed to play in a meaningful game for nearly another six months.
Tatis is expected to spend "a lot of time in San Diego" this offseason as he rehabilitates from a September shoulder surgery and October wrist surgery. Preller reiterated Tuesday the expectation Tatis "should be good to go to start baseball activity at the start of spring training."
The Padres playing 12 postseason games will ostensibly get Tatis back earlier next season. He has served 60 games of the 80-game suspension meted out Aug. 12 for a failed PED test. That means he will be eligible to make his season debut April 20 in Arizona.
"I've had dialogue with him here throughout the postseason," said Padres manager Bob Melvin, sitting beside Preller at a season-ending news conference Tuesday at Petco Park. "And he's just looking forward to helping his team and getting back. I think he has a different perspective on things now, too. And the hunger that he's gonna have to come in and be part of this and help his team go farther than we did last year is pretty immense. So what he's focused on right now is getting healthy, getting back and being part of this group, because he missed it."
Tatis' left wrist injury, stemming from an offseason motorcycle accident, was discovered shortly before spring training, and he had surgery to repair a scaphoid fracture in March. He was rehabbing that injury and was expected to return in a matter of days when his suspension was announced.
With the time off, the team suggested again (more strongly) that Tatis should have the labral repair to his left shoulder that he declined after the '21 season. He agreed, and that procedure was performed the first week of September. The team also suggested a revision of the wrist surgery, as imaging suggested it would become necessary at some point.
"It was really positive and hopefully now … he's on time and the timeframe is met and he's able to come back for the start of spring training," Preller said.
Tatis is allowed to participate in spring training, including games. He then would be away from the team for the first 20 games. He is allowed to begin a minor-league "rehab" assignment April 5.
"Anytime we can limit the time that he's away from the game and away from our big-league team, I think that's a positive for sure," Preller said. "So getting a couple more weeks of hopefully a healthy Fernando Tatis should be positive for us."
As his anticipated return neared this past season, Tatis was expected to play shortstop and center field. He was used at those two spots and right field late in the 2021 season, as the Padres attempted to lessen the opportunity for his reinjuring the shoulder.
He likely would be back at shortstop in '23 if not for the excellence of Ha-Seong Kim at that spot in '22. Kim ranked third on the team with a 3.7 WAR and led the Padres with 10 defensive runs saved. He is one of three finalists for a Gold Glove award.
There appears to be no consensus within the organization, but some have suggested Tatis' best fit is at shortstop. However, among the many variables are whether left fielder Jurickson Profar departs as a free agent and whether the Padres are able to sign a starting first baseman. Right fielder Juan Soto began his career playing three seasons in left, and Jake Cronenworth has been a productive first baseman.
"It's a question, obviously, (that) is talked about a lot," Preller said. "I think for right now it's about just getting him healthy. Those are the conversations that we'll start having here in the next couple of weeks — with our scouts, our front office group, the baseball operations department, Bob and the staff — and try to get some clarity here going into spring training. He gives you that option because he's a great athlete, he is a great player you can play all over the field. And we have some other guys that have stepped up on the current roster that'll be part of the equation too. So it should be good competition, and we'll do what we think is best for him and for our club."
