Fernando Tatis, Jr. Leaves Game After Aggravating Shoulder

A phenom for the San Diego Padres at age 22, Fernando Tatis, Jr.'s season appears to be coming to a complete halt after the shortstop left Saturday's matchup against the Cincinnati Reds with an apparent shoulder injury.

The injury is being assessed as an aggravation of a familiar ailment that was bothering Tatis, Jr. since April. In a matchup against the San Francisco Giants on April 5, Tatis suffered a subluxation in the right shoulder after taking a hard swing. Not viewed as a complete dislocating of the shoulder, the young Padres player endured the pain of the injury without having to miss significant time, but appears to be in a worse position after the weekend.

During Saturday's game against the Reds, Tatis left the game after a diving-stop attempt on a grounder at the top of the fifth inning. Padres' trainers tended to the injured player after he was shown noticeably wincing from the pain coming from his right side.

Despite the Padres' eventual win, the ball club must now brace the reality for potential surgery and hiatus from action for their star shortstop.

Fernando Tatis, Jr. signed a 14-year, $340 million extension with the Padres back in February; leading up to the day's injury, the shortstop led the NL in home runs (22) mere weeks before the MLB's All-Star game in July.

Padres manager Jayce Tingler reflected on Saturday's injury in a post-game interview to forecast how the Padres will handle Tatis' absence going forward.

“Is there a little bit of a gut punch when you lose Tati? Absolutely,” said Tingler. "For us to just continue to play, continue to stay in the game, stay in the moment, we’re going to fight, we’re going to find a way to get it done."

The manager added, "So how appropriate was it that it was Kim there taking over for Tatis and picking us up,? I think it’s huge for the team. The testing, everything afterward, the range of motion, strength is pretty good. We’ll be day to day. … We feel like we’re in a fairly decent position. The trainers think it’s nowhere near where it’s been earlier on in the year.”

OutKick's own Dr. David Chao tweeted his thoughts on Fernando's aggravated shoulder injury.

"Unfortunately, @tatis_jr appears to have injured the same left shoulder again. Surgery ultimately a matter of when, not if," tweeted Dr. Chao, a sobering assessment of the injury that will surely leave Padres fans hesitant on carrying the season ahead without their primetime shortstop.