Fernando Tatis Jr. is one of Major League Baseball’s brightest young stars and a key for the San Diego Padres if they are going to regain relevancy in the National League West. However, it’s going to be hard for him to make an impact on the team while sitting in the dugout and clubhouse with a fractured wrist.
While the exact source and timeline of the fractured left wrist isn’t exactly clear, one thing is known: Fernando Tatis Jr. is officially done riding motorcycles, according to San Diego Padres manager Bob Melvin.
Getting Fernando Tatis Jr. to stay off a motorcycle in the future is one of the smartest moves the San Diego Padres will make this offseason
Tatis was reportedly part of a minor motorcycle accident back in December and, putting two and two together, it’s possible that the wrist injury dates back to that.
While that’s not completely known, what is known is that Tatis has been in multiple motorcycle mishaps, as he acknowledged in interviews on Monday.
“Which one?”
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) March 14, 2022
Fernando Tatís Jr. when asked about his motorcycle incident in the offseasonpic.twitter.com/7JDHqExNC3
And that, well, that is where the San Diego Padres had to step in and protect an investment they have made with one of the faces of their franchise. After all, Tatis is in the early stages of a 14-year, $340 million deal. If Tatis is going to make an impact with the team for a 162-game schedule, prioritizing his health during the offseason has to be the priority.
In San Diego’s first less-than-stellar moment with Melvin at the helm, the new skipper was fairly clear with what he expected from his star player.
Are Fernando Tatis Jr.'s motorcycle-riding days over?
— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) March 15, 2022
"I believe they are," Padres manager Bob Melvin said.
"He’s 22 years old, you have some fun. I don’t think anything was intentional here, but I think you learn from experiences, and I think this is one to learn from.”
For his part, Tatis seems to understand the gravity of the situation and the cost that his offseason has now put on his teammates.
"“It’s terrible,” Tatis said to reporters at Padres camp. “I feel like everybody’s disappointed, especially me. I feel like we have a pretty good chance this year as a team, and I just want to be out there for my teammates.”"
Call it a hard lesson learned, but it looks like Tatis missing a few weeks now may save the Padres the superstar from missing more time in the future.