Tatis undergoes surgery on left shoulder
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SAN DIEGO -- Fernando Tatis Jr. underwent successful surgery to repair the labrum in his left shoulder on Tuesday, the Padres announced.
Tatis had been slated to undergo surgery last week but was dealing with a non-COVID illness at the time. Instead, he had the operation on Tuesday in Los Angeles, performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
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The team expects Tatis to be fully healthy when he¡¯s eligible to return from his suspension next April or May -- and likely for Spring Training, as well. The recovery period for such an operation typically lasts four to six months.
Last season, Tatis sustained at least four subluxations of his left shoulder, forcing him to miss game action. In October 2021, he opted against surgery, noting that he believed his shoulder to be stable. The team had lobbied for Tatis to get surgery but maintained it was his decision to make.
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Following news of his suspension after he tested positive for a banned substance, Tatis pivoted and decided to get surgery. His reasoning?
"How I was feeling a little bit, coming back, I wasn't the best version out there,¡± Tatis said last month. ¡°A couple games, it got in the way. I was thinking and not diving headfirst, not doing my stereotypical movement. I feel like when I come back and start everything all over, I need to be 100% so I can do what I know how to do."
Tatis, of course, will not play a game this season. He missed the first four months while recovering from a left wrist fracture. Then, on the verge of his return, he received an 80-game ban after testing positive for Clostebol.
Tatis will remain around the team for the duration of the season, though he is not allowed at the ballpark during games. He plans to rehab his shoulder injury in San Diego during the offseason.
"From my understanding, I think everybody was hoping at some point in time he'd have it done," manager Bob Melvin said of the surgery last month. "So he is. I think, as far as the medical staff goes, and even now himself, I think he realizes, 'Let's get this stuff cleaned up before I come back and play.'"