San Diego Padres' star Fernando Tatis Jr. progressing, set to begin rehab assignment

LOS ANGELES — Fernando Tatis Jr. took part in his third live-batting-practice session from Dodger Stadium early Friday afternoon and was scheduled to fly to San Antonio to join the San Diego Padres' Double-A affiliate later that night, beginning a rehab assignment this weekend.

Tatis, 23, has spent all season rehabbing from surgery to his left wrist but has basically reached the end of his recovery and is now focused on getting his timing back and his legs underneath him. Tatis underwent what was expected to be a final scan of the scaphoid bone that sustained a fracture early in the offseason, and Padres manager Bob Melvin said «everything looks good.»

Tatis, who has displayed encouraging signs in prior hitting sessions, could be a week or two away from returning.

«I don't think we have a set amount of at-bats,» Melvin said when asked about the length of Tatis' rehab assignment. «And also, you'd like to get a guy back here when he's swinging the bat pretty well too. We are later in the season; this isn't going to be a three-week process to get him back here, so we'll just take it day to day and see where he is physically and how he's feeling at the plate.»

Tatis will eventually return to a reshaped Padres team that dominated the headlines earlier this week, acquiring Juan Soto, Josh Bell, Brandon Drury and Josh Hader before the trade deadline. Tatis will reside near the top of the lineup alongside Soto and Manny Machado, forming arguably the most devesting trio of hitters in the majors — but he will also move around.

Tatis will see time in center field and at designated hitter during his rehab assignment, in addition to his natural position of shortstop, and will do the same when he returns to the major league team.