Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. homers against Dodgers in first game back from shoulder injury

Fernando Tatis Jr. announced his return from the injured list loudly on Friday night in an important early-season encounter between his San Diego Padres and the rival Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD-SD GameTracker). Here’s his fifth inning blast off a Walker Buehler fastball that broke a 1-1 tie: 

That’s a 410-foot bomb that left the bat at 106.5 mph. Here’s the slugger-focused view: 

This homer is notable beyond the usual reasons because this is Tatis’ first game since suffering a scary shoulder injury on April 5 against the Giants. On a swing and miss against an Anthony DeSclafani breaking ball, Tatis dislocated his left shoulder. The injury looked severe at the time, and soon after many speculated that the 22-year-old star shortstop would require surgery. However, that didn’t come to pass, as Tatis was activated just prior to Friday’s series opener against the reigning champion Giants. You worry about any injury to a hitter’s front shoulder at the plate and how it might affect his power. Suffice it to say, Tatis allayed those fears in one swing. Given that he’s still fresh off signing a $340 million extension, it was reassuring moment for a lot of people in San Diego. 

Unfortunately for Tatis and the Padres, his throwing error in the sixth helped give the lead back to the Dodgers, but the sight of his clouting a towering homer so soon after collapsing in a painful heap at the plate was a special moment.