Milwaukee Brewers vs. San Diego Padres” class=”w-full rounded-md”>June 20, 2024; San Diego, California, United States; San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) drives home to score a run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the seventh inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-KeynoteUSA Sports
San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. is preparing for an extended stint on the disabled list with a femoral stress reaction in his right leg.
Tatis was placed on the 10-day injured list on Monday, but understands the diagnosis indicates his absence will likely extend well into July and possibly beyond.
“It’s a huge gap. I don’t want to bring it up because people are going to (speculate),” Tatis said of his injury to the quadriceps area. “It’s going to be some time. We know… we’re trying to target it after the All-Star Game, but we’re talking about something serious in the bone in my right leg.
“Let’s not fool ourselves. Everyone knows it will be more than 10 days.”
Tatis, 25, said the concern among medical staff is that the stress reaction could turn into a fracture. Last week’s images showed that the team’s first diagnosis of a quadriceps strain was inaccurate. Tatis had been battling symptoms of the injury since the season-opening series in April in South Korea, when she first felt cramps “all over her body.”
“It’s been long. It’s been progressive,” Tatis said.
Due to the longevity of the symptoms, doctors urged Tatis not to continue playing with discomfort because a fracture in that area can lead to a recovery time of more than three months. It is not uncommon for femoral strain reactions to be treated as muscle strains, especially in runners and football players, as the symptoms often present similarly to muscle strain and cramps.
The loss of Tatis is critical for the Padres. He is hitting .279 with 14 home runs this season and hit .365 with six multi-hit games and 10 extra-base hits in 19 games in June.
Tatis is also recovering from an elbow contusion that kept him sidelined since the fifth inning on Friday night.
“He could still play, because he’s been playing with it,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “But it’s something that won’t get better unless we give it rest.”
Tatis has 10 years and more than $300 million left on his current contract.
The Padres received more bad news on the injury front when scheduled Tuesday night starter Yu Darvish suffered a setback after starting rehab Wednesday night at High-A Fort Wayne. Darvish went on the disabled list nearly a month ago with a left groin strain, but now has inflammation in his elbow.
–Field level media
Keynote USA
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