Fernando Tatis Jr. quickly became a Padres fan favorite for his style, devotion to San Diego, and otherworldly talent. Then he missed all of 2022 with an avoidable wrist injury (he suffered it on a motorbike) and a steroid suspension.
On Saturday at Padres FanFest, Tatis Jr. was going to be back amongst the Friar Faithful for the first time since his lost season. Even he admitted to being nervous about what kind of reception he’d receive.
“Of course. Of course, I am,” said Tatis Jr. early Friday morning. “But I feel like it’s good emotion, those butterflies when you go on the first date. I feel like that’s about it.”
Fernando got his answer when he walked down a hallway towards a packed concourse and the crowd immediately started chanting his name. While all may not be forgotten, it’s clear that San Diego baseball fans have forgiven.
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“That just keeps me pushing. They’ve been there since Day 1. I listened to them when they were talking, and I feel like everything that needs to be put out there has been put out there. I feel like from now on it’s me being back out on the field sharing that same love.”
He was mobbed at every turn with fans welcoming back one of the most dynamic and charismatic players the game has ever seen. Fernando was once again contrite.
“I’ve learned a lot,” says Tatis Jr. “I feel like everything that happened to me has had a purpose to us aiming for the future. I’m looking forward. I’ve already learned from what happened and I’m really looking forward to redeeming myself and a great comeback.”
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Having to watch the Padres run to the National League Championship Series, knowing he might have been the difference in that 5-game loss to the Phillies, has been weighing heavily. But he’s using it as motivation.
“It gave me a lot of fuel, trust me. I don’t want to put many words into it. I want to prove myself on the field, just get back on the field to my boys. I definitely miss that fire, being in the jungle with them. It was definitely a dagger to my heart and now I’m looking forward to being on that front line.”
Tatis Jr. has made amends with his teammates, who are welcoming him back with open arms.
“It’s not forced, either. He’s taken that step of trying to move past this and put it behind him and just kind of change the perception of him out there,” says Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove, one of the most respected voices in the clubhouse. “It’s not going to be easy, it’s something he’s going to continue to face for this season and possibly a couple of years to come. But one of the things we talked about very early on was at some point you’re going to have to forgive yourself and try to move past it and show everyone who you really are and what’s in there. It’s very easy to walk around and feel like you have to have this certain sense of remorse, or you have to show everyone how bad you feel about what you did. I think he’s done that already and he’s showed everybody what he’s about and the things he’s going to do to fix it.”
So, Fernando Tatis Jr. has fixed his relationship with fans and teammates. He’s also surgically fixed his shoulder and wrist and says he’s full-go for all baseball activities. The only thing left is to deal with opposing fans, who are certainly going to try and get into the superstar’s head.
“I’m definitely looking forward to that challenge,” says Tatis Jr. “It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be one of the most emotional years, I feel like, in my career. I’m looking to embrace it and looking to what’s to come.”
If it’s anything like what we saw in his first three big league seasons, what’s to come is an MVP-caliber performance and another deep Padres playoff run.
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