PEORIA, Ariz. — All-Star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres had surgery on his broken left wrist Wednesday.
General manager A.J. Preller said earlier this week that the $340 million superstar is expected to miss three months. Tatis led the NL with 42 homers in 2021 and was third in NL MVP balloting.
It's unclear how the electrifying player broke his wrist, but there were reports in December that he had a motorcycle accident in his native Dominican Republic. Preller said Monday that the team believed the injury occurred early in the offseason but that Tatis didn't start feeling it until he began taking swings about a month ago in preparation for spring training.
The 23-year-old Tatis had a series of injuries to his left shoulder last year and also was on the COVID-19 injured list at one point. He batted .282 with 97 RBIs and 25 stolen bases.
Kim Ha-seong is expected to replace Tatis at shortstop. Kim is entering his second big league season after starring in his native Korea.
Tatis signed a $340 million, 14-year contract with the Padres during spring training last year.