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SAN DIEGO — Star right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. returned to action Monday for the San Diego Padres after missing more than two months with a right femur injury.
Tatis was scheduled to play as a second baseman in the opening game of a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers. The Padres entered the day in a virtual tie with Arizona for the first National League playoff spot.
Tatis played his last game on June 21 and was placed on the injured list on June 24, retroactive to June 22.
He spent the past week working out at the team’s spring training complex in Arizona.
Tatis received a warm welcome at the clubhouse, including a big hug from midfielder Jackson Merrill, who some consider a top contender for the National League’s rookie of the year.
“I’m in a really good place right now,” Tatis said. “I feel like I can do anything out there on the baseball field.”
On the day he was placed on the injured list, Tatis said he had been dealing with the injury for nearly the entire season. It was initially described as a quadriceps strain, but the team discovered a stress reaction after imaging.
Tatis won the National League Gold Glove and Platinum Glove awards last year in his first season in right field.
He was a star at shortstop in 2021 before missing the 2022 season due to injury and a doping suspension.
Tatis was batting at a .279 average with 14 home runs and 36 RBIs when he went on the injured list.
Outfielder Bryce Johnson has been optioned to Triple-A El Paso.
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