SAN DIEGO-- Fernando Tatís is the first to admit he's not having the season he's expected, but that doesn't mean he doesn't relish being selected to his third All-Star game.
On Sunday afternoon, just prior to series finale versus the Texas Rangers, Major League Baseball unveiled the full rosters for the Midsummer Classic, with Tatís joining teammates and NL starting third baseman Manny Machado and reliever Jason Adam. It was Machado's seventh overall selection and the first for Adam.
Tatís, slashing .260/.441/.794 with 15 home runs and 38 RBI said he was was "blessed" to be an All-Star and humbled by his selection.
"Just happy, been grinding every single day and this is definitely rewarding," said Tatís, who leads the team with 62 runs scored and 19 stolen bases.
The 26-year old admitted he had made alternative plans for a relaxing getaway, just before finding out on Sunday he had been selected and was headed to Atlanta.
"I've been playing good baseman, man. It's just we go to war all all that stuff. It's just a really good combination of baserunning, defense. Obviously we know I can be a way better player offensively but at the same time I'm trying to do everything at the same time."
Padres manager Mike Shildt alluded to Tatís' up-and-down season on Saturday night, when asked about his .211 batting average over the previous seven weeks, but reiterated on Sunday that was he deserving of the selection.
"You want the best players in the game at the All-Star game," said Shildt. "Tati's had a little bit of a tale of two seasons but definitely demonstrated and helped us, in some case carried us to a lot of wins in the first half. For him to get an All-Star game nod is well deserved. A couple years prior we can argue, he could have gotten in so we're happy for Tatí as well."
Notable
Reliever Jason Adam, selected to his first All-Star game, has appeared in 44 games, second most in MLB and boasts a 1.65 ERA with 19 holds...Tatís becomes the third Padres outfielder to be selected to multiple All-Star games (2) joining Dave Winfield (4) and Tony Gwynn (15). Tatis appeared as a shortstop in 2019.
Padres pitcher Yu Darvish will make his season debut on Monday night versus the Arizona Diamondbacks and it's not a moment too thing for the depleted starting rotation. The 38-year-old Darvish, who's been sidelined all season with right elbow inflammation, "checked all the boxes" for the medical staff following his last simulated game.
"Darvish is going to start for us tomorrow," confirmed Shildt. "It really just comes from a physical standpoint. We always have an open day on the schedule for Darvish to start. So we're excited to have that happen and it really does get back to him just checking out all the boxes, leading into simulated games, recovering, bullpen, recovering, more simulated games, extended work, being able to hold velocity. He threw a side yesterday, it was the last box that medical and him wanted to check before he was able to come back and pitch."
Shildt said Darvish's pitch count would be around the 75-77 range.
With Darvish returning to the fold, the Padres will now have two-fifths of their starting rotation back from 2024. Michael King remains sidelined with a pinched nerve in his right shoulder and no definitive timeline, and Joe Musgrove is out for the season.