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Padres: What Tatis injury means for Rookie of the Year race

By Ben Fadden |
SAN DIEGO, CA - AUGUST 13: Andy Green #14 of the San Diego Padres and a trainer talk with Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Petco Park August 13, 2019 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA - AUGUST 13: Andy Green #14 of the San Diego Padres and a trainer talk with Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Petco Park August 13, 2019 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)
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(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. is “most likely done” for the season so what does that mean for the Rookie of the Year race and the Padres?

The Padres placed Fernando Tatis Jr. on the 10-day IL today with a stress fracture in his back along with Ian Kinsler, but the bad news came when Andy Green addressed the media before the series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Travis Jankowski and Ty France were recalled to replace both of the infielders.

The manager told reporters that Tatis is “most likely done for the remainder of the season” after exiting Tuesday’s game at home against the Tampa Bay Rays.

He also mentioned that the injury was partly due to his workload his year and all of the stress on his body.

He had been dealing with a lower back issue, and fans who were watching the game Tuesday night could tell that he was in some pain after fouling off a pitch and immediately feeling for his back.

The “most exciting player in baseball since Ken Griffey Jr.” will certainly be missed by his club. He was the best shortstop since Khalil Greene to don a Padres uniform and has become the most entertaining player in the league.

(Photo by Lizzy Barrett/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
(Photo by Lizzy Barrett/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

What does this mean for the NL Rookie of the Year race?

Major League Baseball fans have loved watching Tatis all season long, whether it was his 6 (yes SIX) leadoff home runs or leaping 5 feet into the air to rob a hit from Jesus Aguilar or tagging on a lazy pop-up to second base in Pittsburgh.

But they will only be able to watch his highlights now because he is on the shelf. Mets fans are delighted with the injury because Alonso is a slam dunk to win the award since he plays in New York and has 30 home runs (Tatis only has 8 less).

Mets first basemen Pete Alonso and Tatis have been competing for the National League Rookie of the Year award all season long.

Alonso has been only hitting homers all year, but in addition to hitting homers, Tatis has been making spectacular plays in the field and taking any base he can when you aren’t paying attention.

Here is a comparison of their years, with the better stat in bold.

Pete Alonso                                                        Fernando Tatis

Average                   .264                                              .316

OBP                          .369                                              .379

OPS                          .965                                              .969

HR                              30                                                   22

K                                 132                                                110

As you can see Tatis has clearly had a better season, and the MLB is greatly going to miss him because he gave them highlight plays every single night on both sides of the ball.

Now that Tatis is likely to miss the rest of 2019, Alonso will win the Rookie of the Year, but there will be an asterisk because his greatest competitor was hurt.

(Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)
(Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images) /

What does this mean for the Padres?’

More from Call to the Pen

Well, there are some positives coming out of the injury.

  1. Tatis can get back to full health and be ready to go for 2020 when San Diego’s contending era will officially begin.
  2. Ty France gets another opportunity, and not just to play 3rd until Tatis comes back, but to try his hand at second base.

France is obviously blocked at third base, so while a trade may be his best chance to excel elsewhere, the Padres have aren’t going to give up on him.

The Tatis injury lets Urias, who the Padres like defensively, at shortstop to slide over to perhaps build his trade interest by being able to play both middle infield positions.

It also, as I said, lets France go to second base. The Padres will try him at second base in an attempt to have their own “Max Muncy” prototype at second base.

He was hitting .399 with 27 home runs back in El Paso, so he was just waiting for another chance at the big leagues.

France has much more power than Urias and is more consistent at the plate, and these days defense isn’t as the shortstop position.

While Tatis was hurt earlier in the year with a hamstring injury after doing the splits at second base in Washington, France played more at third than he did at second base and while he was back in Triple-A El Paso he has been working at second base.

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Now, when it comes to the lineup, I can see Andy Green putting center fielder Manuel Margot in that spot when he is on the field, but when he isn’t on the field Travis Jankowski (who they called up for Kinsler) would be a speed option and Luis Urias works as well.

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