Padres News: Fernando Tatis Jr Makes a Promise to Fans in San Diego

San Diego Padres fans are very excited to finally welcome Fernando Tatis Jr. back to the lineup this season. Tatis Jr. last suited up for the Padres on Oct. 3 of 2021. Last year, he missed the entire season with a wrist injury, and then a suspension after testing positive for Clostebol.

However, Tatis Jr. will officially be back this season, and could suit up for the Friars as soon as April 27.

At the Padres FanFest over the weekend, Tatis talked about how much he's missed being on the field with his team.

"I’ve missed it a lot," Tatis said during a news conference earlier in the day. "I mean, I missed a year of it. I’m not looking forward to missing anymore. It just feels great to be out there again."

Tatis also made a very big promise to San Diego fans, talking about his commitment to the organization.

"I love you San Diego," Tatis said. "I’m not going to leave here for a really long time."

Tatis signed a massive 14-year, $340 million contract with the Friars, so he doesn't really have a choice. However, the Padres could have decided that enough was enough, especially after the consistent off-field issues.

But that's not the case. The Padres are very excited to welcome Tatis back this year, and he's excited to be back. And he's especially excited to hopefully play postseason baseball, something that was extra hard for him to miss out on last year.

"It has given me a lot of fuel, trust me," Tatis said. "I don’t want to put much words into it, I more want to prove myself on the field, just get back to the field with my boys. I definitely missed that fire, being in the jungle with them. It was definitely a dagger to my heart and now I’m looking forward to being on that front line."

Padres fans should be very excited to see what Tatis has in store for the 2023 season. It'll likely be very, very special.