Padres place Fernando Tatis Jr. on IL, opt for rest instead of surgery on shoulder

Fernando Tatis Jr. will be out a while for the San Diego Padres, but potentially not as long as feared.

The Padres will place their star shortstop in the 10-day injured list due to a left shoulder dislocation injury, general manager A.J. Preller told reporters Tuesday. Preller said Tatis has some slight labral tearing, but the team is hopeful that rest and rehab will allow him to avoid surgery.

Preller characterized Tatis' examination as "uneventful" and a "pretty positive report in general," saying the player is in good spirits.

Preller added that the team isn't ruling out Tatis returning when his minimum 10 days are up.

Tatis exited Monday's game in clear pain, crumpling to the ground after a swing with no contact:

That left shoulder has been a recurring issue throughout Tatis' young career. The Athletic noted the problem goes back to when Tatis was in rookie ball in 2016, and reappeared during spring training this year when he had to exit a game. He has also seen his 2018 season ended by a fractured thumb and his 2019 season ended by a stress reaction in his lower back.

The fear when Tatis collapsed was that he would require season-ending surgery to fix his shoulder, but it appears he has dodged that bullet, so long as the rest-and-rehab route goes as hoped.

Tatis will now miss at least the next 10 days, which include a Padres road trip with series against the Texas Rangers and Pittsburgh Pirates. If he really can return in only 10 days, he would arrive just in time for San Diego's first series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, arguably the most anticipated matchup of the season.

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