Back from flu, Tatis clears the fence
AJ Cassavell
@AJCassavellPEORIA, Ariz. -- Fernando Tatis Jr. returned to Padres camp on Wednesday after he spent several days away from the team while battling the flu.
Prior to the team¡¯s workout Wednesday, manager Mike Shildt noted that Tatis¡¯ workload on his first day back would likely be light -- predicated mostly on how he was feeling.
Sure looks like Tatis is feeling OK.
In his first live BP session, Tatis crushed a monstrous home run off of new Padres right-hander Nick Pivetta on a Peoria Sports Complex back field. After taking full batting practice, Tatis received three live at-bats against Pivetta. He struck out in each of the first two before crushing a homer to center field.
¡°I felt good,¡± Tatis said. ¡°I was down with the flu, but it was nothing crazy. Just trying to be smart about it. I came out feeling good.¡±
The flu has been far too present at Padres camp this spring. Catcher Luis Campusano was also sidelined for a few days recently, though he made his return to the starting lineup on Wednesday afternoon. Campusano went 1-for-2 and caught four scoreless innings in the Padres¡¯ 3-1 victory over the White Sox at Camelback Ranch.
¡°Knock on wood a little bit, it looks like everybody¡¯s in camp now,¡± Shildt said. ¡°And, hopefully, whatever¡¯s going around is over.¡±
It remains unclear when Tatis will make his Cactus League debut, though the Padres¡¯ trip on Thursday to face the A¡¯s in Mesa is almost certainly off the table. It could come Friday night against Seattle, but that largely will be predicated on Tatis.
¡°We trust him,¡± Shildt said. ¡°He¡¯s going into his seventh year. He knows what he needs to do, knows his body. He¡¯ll come back, get what he needs, and we¡¯ll kind of build from there.¡±
Worth noting
? The back-field outing marked Pivetta¡¯s first live action of the spring. He signed with the club on the morning of the first full-squad workout. Aside from the Tatis home run, Pivetta didn¡¯t allow a hit across two simulated innings.
Shildt noted that Pivetta¡¯s later start hasn¡¯t impacted his buildup. The delay in getting into Cactus League games is merely part of the planned progression. All four of the Padres¡¯ presumed rotation locks -- Pivetta, Yu Darvish, Dylan Cease and Michael King -- have pitched only on back fields this spring, as the battle for the fifth rotation spot has taken center stage.
? Right-hander Ryan Bergert was added to the Padres¡¯ 40-man roster ahead of the November deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft. He¡¯s a longshot for that rotation spot. But he¡¯s making a strong case.
Bergert is the only Padre who has made multiple starts this spring, and he has yet to allow a run across three innings. On Wednesday against the White Sox, Bergert pitched two perfect frames.
¡°Opening Day starter in Spring Training, and [he] didn¡¯t back down,¡± Shildt said. ¡°We don¡¯t take that lightly. That¡¯s a big deal for a new 40-man guy. He shows up, in control, throws quality strikes and everything¡¯s hitting.¡±
? Padres radio analyst Tony Gwynn Jr. summed it up best: ¡°Just like that,¡± Gwynn said after an impressive opposite-field home run, ¡°Forrest Wall has entered the chat.¡±
Indeed. Wall was a longshot for a bench spot at the start of camp. But the non-roster invitee has turned in an excellent first week and suddenly seems to be in the mix, especially after his 2-for-2 afternoon on Wednesday, which included a tiebreaking, opposite-field homer in the eighth.
¡°He¡¯s here, he¡¯s competing, he¡¯s doing well,¡± Shildt said. ¡°He¡¯s really had a great spring, played good defense. That was a big-boy home run the other way. That was driven. I also love the baserunning.¡±
The Padres seemingly have two non-catcher bench spots available, and they¡¯ve already gotten solid performances from a number of contenders this spring. Add Wall to that mix.