The San Diego Padres are returning home after a six-game road set where they lost four of six to the Mariners and Twins. They return to Petco Park for a three-game set against the Baltimore Orioles that begins on Monday. San Diego is 76-61 and two games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.
Just before Monday’s contest, the Padres made a Fernando Tatis Jr. announcement.
Fernando Tatis Jr. was scratched from Monday’s lineup
The San Diego Padres announced just minutes before the first pitch of 3:40 p.m. PST that Fernando Tatis Jr. has been scratched with hamstring tightness. He had aggravated it in Sunday’s 7-2 loss against the Twins.
Yesterday, Tatis Jr. revealed to the media that he’d be fine and would play on Monday.
The new Padres lineup is now:
- Luis Arraez
- Manny Machado
- Ryan O’Hearn
- Ramon Laureano
- Gavin Sheets
- Jake Cronenworth
- Jose Iglesias
- Bryce Johnson
- Freddy Fermin
Dylan Cease is set to get the start as well.
Tatis Jr. is one of the most important pieces to the Padres’ lineup, and they can’t afford to have this be a bigger and lingering issue.
The Dodgers are off today, but their next series is against the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates.
It will be interesting to get Tatis’s reaction following the game or on Tuesday on whether or not further testing will have to be done.
He’s hitting .268 with 18 home runs and an OPS+ of 120, while playing a stellar defensive right field.
