Fernando Tatis Jr. is already flashing his platinum leather for the San Diego Padres
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr. made a sensational running, leaping catch in right field with a runner on second base, threw the ball back in, slapped the platinum patch on his glove and flashed his golden smile.
El Niño has stormed back for the San Diego Padres.
After playing his first three seasons with flair and swagger, his career was buffeted by injuries and an 80-game PED suspension that cost him all of the 2022 season and the first 20 games of 2023. But he was so impressive in moving from shortstop to right field last year that he won both the Gold Glove Award and the NL Platinum Glove Award, the latter voted on by fans to honor the league’s best defensive player.
Last week in Seoul, where the Padres and Dodgers played a two-game series, Tatis was in the opening day lineup for the first time since 2021. He’ll no doubt get a lively reception on Thursday when the Padres play their home opener against the San Francisco Giants and manager Bob Melvin, who was San Diego’s skipper the last two years.
The high-priced Padres flopped last year, but Tatis shined once he finished serving the final 20 games of the 80-game PED suspension he was hit with in August 2022. He was an All-Star at shortstop in 2021 but was moved to right field when he returned, ostensibly to keep him healthy. He injured his left shoulder twice during the 2021 season and then broke his left wrist in a motorcycle accident that December while at home in the Dominican Republic. Both injuries ultimately required surgery.
“I was open to it and just really looking forward to it,” Tatis said about the move to right field. “I worked my (rear) off and it totally paid off. I was really happy with the outcome, although I know I always can do a little better. You always can get a little bit better on the baseball field, so I’m looking forward to that challenge.”
As impressive as his catch was of Jorge Polanco’s fly ball Monday night in a home exhibition game against the Seattle Mariners, he made a catch in the Padres’ home finale on Sept. 24 that was so jaw-dropping that it might have sealed the Gold Glove and Platinum Glove awards.
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