Fernando Tatis Jr. aiming to play smarter after shoulder injury

Fernando Tatis Jr. will spend the 2021 season battling through a shoulder injury that he suffered roughly two weeks ago, and he’s trying to learn some lessons from it.

The San Diego Padres star suffered the injury swinging and missing on a strikeout in an Apr. 5 game against the San Francisco Giants. He returned to the lineup on Friday with a home run, but admitted he plans to play a bit smarter to avoid further injury.

Fernando Tatis Jr says he plans to play smarter to keep healthy and his shoulder feels fine. He’ll consult with doctors after the season to see if he can avoid surgery.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 17, 2021

Tatis’ all-out style has endeared him to fans, but it also increases the risk of injury. He won’t want to lose it completely, but part of his maturation process will likely be knowing when to be aggressive and when to ease up a bit for his own good.

The Padres have invested very heavily in Tatis. They’ll want to see him keep what makes him great, but they won’t want him spending extensive time on the IL because of it, either.