What was expected to happen in 2019 will come true four years later, when the Dominican Fernando Tatis Jr. puts on the El Paso Chihuahuas flannel starting April 4, to play with the canines for a period than 15 days, as reported by the San Diego Union Tribune newspaper.
In that year, everything indicated that Tatis Jr. would come to the Chihuahuas as one more step on his way to the big tent, but the Padres board decided to take him directly to San Diego and the player made his Major League debut on March 28 against the San Francisco Giants.
Tatis Jr. has never played in Triple-A, so it will be the first time he defends the colors of the ninth border.
In 2017 he was teammates with Mexican Luis Urías with San Antonio Missions, a branch of the Padres at the Double-A level. Urías arrived at the Chihuahuas a year later and it was expected that in 2019 he would meet Tatis again in El Paso, which in the end did not happen.
Tatis Jr. is serving an 80-game suspension imposed on him by the Major Leagues after failing a drug test in August of last year, making him eligible to return to the big tent starting April 20.
Thus, the Dominican will continue with his preparation to return to the Majors in the El Paso team, where it is expected that he will maintain the good level that he has exhibited in spring practices.
The Chihuahuas make their debut this Friday at home against Sugar Land in a three-game series. Then they will rest on Monday to visit Sacramento from April 4 to 9, in which they will be joined by Tatis. And from the 11th to the 16th of that month they will be at home to receive the Albuquerque Isotopes.
The Major Leagues allow suspended players, as was the case with Tatis, to receive a 15-day assignment to the Minors, as long as the suspension was for 50 games or more, with the player’s prior consent.
The 24-year-old Tatis has had 12 hits in 46 plate appearances in spring games, with a double, two homers and seven RBIs. In the last seven games he is batting .555 with seven runs scored, one homer and one double.
One of the keys for Tatis to agree to play with the Chihuahuas is the relationship he has with the new manager of the El Pasoans, Phillip Wellman, as well as with the hitting coach, Raúl Padrón, with whom he was in Double-A.
“They have always been key to me,” Tatis Jr. told the San Diego Union Tribune.
know it
Name: Fernando Tatis Jr.
Date of birth: January 2, 1999
Place of birth: San Pedro de Macoris, R. Dominicana
Age: 24 years
Height: 1.91 m, 6’2
Weight: 98 kg, 216 lbs
