Fernando Tatis Jr. he was 3-for-4 with a walk and an RBI in yesterday’s 9-5 Padres win over the Rockies, but the most notable aspect of Tatis’ game was his role as San Diego’s first baseman. It was Tatis’ second major-league game at second base and his first at the position, and the move was a no-brainer. Xander Bogaerts he had a day off. “We felt like Tatis was the best option at second base, and the most fun and exciting option at second base.,” manager Craig Stammen told The Athletic’s Dennis Lin and other reporters, as the Padres look for ways to consolidate their lineup, get everyone at bats, and keep their players young.
Needless to say, Tatis isn’t leaving his right field spot anytime soon, but getting a rare game in the key role could add to his already high defensive value. Stammen also suggested that the position change could get Tatis rolling after a slow start at the plate, and Tatis’ three-hit night shows the tactic worked.
More from the NL West…
- X-rays were negative Luis Arraezright wrist after Giants the second baseman was ejected from yesterday’s game. Unusual play on second base saw Dylan Beavers he accidentally kicked Arraez in the hand while trying to avoid a tag in the bottom of the fourth inning, and Arraez was ejected before the bottom of the fifth. Arraez is day-to-day at this point, and since the Giants don’t play on Monday, it looks like he’ll be ruled out of today’s lineup for two full days of recovery. After signing a one-year, $12MM free agent contract with San Francisco, Arraez got off to a good start with his new team, hitting .304/.339/.393 in his first 63 plate appearances.
- Sam Hentges he also joined the Giants one-year, $1.4MM deal this offseason, and the reliever looks to be nearing his first action of any kind since August 2024, as the A-level San Jose Giants announced Hentges is joining the team in a rehab assignment. Hentges posted a 2.93 ERA, 27.7% strikeout rate, and 7.5% walk rate over 138 innings out of the bullpen in 2022-24, but his career was cut short by shoulder surgery in September 2024, then arthroscopic right knee surgery. The lefty’s stat sheet will be very long given how long Hentges has been sidelined, but he could be an interesting x-factor in San Francisco’s bullpen if healthy.
- Blake Snell threw a 15-pitch inning yesterday, facing live batters for the first time since Game 7 of the World Series. Snell began the season in The Dodgers‘ He is on the 15-day injured list because of shoulder fatigue, and he said last month following his first Spring Training bullpen session that he intended to make his season debut before the end of April. That timeline may be slightly delayed, as a manager Dave Roberts told MLB.com’s Courtney Hollmon and other reporters that his team wants to see Snell built into throwing the equivalent of four inning sessions before Snell starts a rehab assignment.
- Tommy Edman was one of the hitters at the plate during Snell’s sim inning, which also marked Edman’s first live appearance since undergoing ankle surgery last November. Edman started the season on the 10-day disabled list, but Roberts told Hollmon and company that the Dodgers don’t expect Edman to return until the end of May as he’s older.not at full speed“but about running.” The timing means Edman could be moved to 60-day IL at some point if Los Angeles needs a 40-man roster spot, though that decision won’t be made until Edman is further into the recovery process.
