SAN DIEGO — Good news for the Padres, for now.
Shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. will not undergo shoulder surgery, Padres general manager A.J. Preller said Tuesday.
Tatis was placed on the 10-day injured list with the hope the inflammation subsides and stability increases in his left shoulder, which was dislocated on a swing in Monday’s game, prompting fears he could be out for as long as the entire season.
Now, the Padres hope he can return as soon as the Dodgers series that begins April 16 at Petco Park.
“This is not something we feel like long-term we’re putting him at risk if he continues playing this season,” Preller said. “… There is always the chance he could have another incident. At that point in time, we’ll evaluate from there.”
Preller said the team’s doctors do not believe Tatis will risk further damage by continuing to play.
That at least gives the Padres hope their most dynamic player will return before too long and be able to help them throughout a season in which they have championship aspirations.
“You’re not going to replace him,” manager Jayce Tingler said before Preller’s announcement. “Now, can a group of eight, nine, 10 or 11 guys step their game up a small percentage? … We do that, we think that will be the best way. You’re not going to replace him. But we believe in our guys.”
Ha-seong Kim will start at shortstop Tuesday night against the Giants. Brian O’Grady was added to the active roster.
“You never want to see any of your teammates go down, especially one that’s Fernando Tatis,” right fielder Wil Myers said. “Right now, we just have to go out and keep playing each and every day. … The Giants are still out there.”
Being without Tatis is about the worst-case scenario for the Padres. But it is also what the Padres prepared for when fortifying their depth in the offseason, not to mention the signing of Manny Machado two years ago and Eric Hosmer in 2018.
“With the lineup we have right now, we still have a great team,” Myers said. “This is why we have the depth we do.”
Multiple orthopedic surgeons, basing their analysis on video observation, the fact Tatis has left games twice in the past two weeks and has dealt with a shoulder issue for years, said Tatis likely has a tear in his labrum. They said he could continue to play, there is a risk of further injury.
The Padres’ medical team doesn’t believe that to be the case, Preller said. He will proceed with strengthening exercises, and the team will also continue to talk to him about alterations to his style of play, be it not diving on defense or sliding head first or even how he follows through on his swing.
“Everybody was very confident that surgery wasn’t the answer at this point in time,” Preller said. “Exactly how he’s going to respond and how his body is going to respond, he’s going to have all the possible information … to do everything he can to stay on the field and play.
“(The doctors) and Fernando, they felt very confident this is not surgery right now. They felt confident we can keep him on the field and put him in a spot where he can be successful and not be in pain and not do any further damage.
