San Diego Padres

Padres' top prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. homers in first at-bat back from thumb injury

Published Nov. 15, 2018 12:34 a.m. ET

John Horvath

On July 19, Padres infield prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. injured his left thumb while sliding into second base on a steal attempt with the organization's then-Double-A affiliate San Antonio. After playing a couple of innings in the field, he was removed from the game, examined, and sent to San Diego for further evaluation.

A few days later, it was determined that he had suffered a broken left thumb with ligament damage. He was to have surgery and miss 6-to-8 weeks, a timetable which ultimately put an end to his minor league season.

Fast-forward roughly four months, and the no. 2 prospect in all of baseball is finally back in action.

In his first game back on the diamond, Tatis Jr. quickly found a way to make an impact. Batting in the leadoff spot for Estrellas Orientales of the Dominican Winter League, the 19-year-old clocked a home run on the very first pitch that he saw in the bottom of the first inning:

https://twitter.com/LIDOMRD/status/1062881666383908865

https://twitter.com/MLBDominicana/status/1062895888299970560

It was part of a 1-for-2 night for Tatis Jr., who also struck out once and walked twice in a 4-2 victory.

Also making his debut for the Estrellas was catcher Francisco Mejía, who went 0-for-3 with a sacrifice fly.