The San Diego Padres are going home for the winter.
After a 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 5 of the NLCS on Sunday, the Padres and their fans are feeling the sting of defeat, much like the New York Yankees.
It was Bryce Harper‘s go-ahead home run that sunk the Friars on Sunday.
But as the second NL Wild Card team, the Padres reached their first NLCS since 1998 and did so without Fernando Tatis Jr., who is suspended due to PED use.
On Twitter, Padres insider Kevin Acee tweeted a photo of the team’s 2023 calendar, with April 20 circled as Tatis’ potential return date, thanks to the Padres playing 12 games this October.
As a result of the Padres playing 12 postseason games, Fernando Tatis Jr. will be eligible to return after missing the first 20 games of 2023. pic.twitter.com/PLCb1xyzDh
— Kevin Acee (@sdutKevinAcee) October 24, 2022
Tatis Set To Return In April
Having Tatis healthy would have been a huge boost for the Padres and could have gotten them past the Phillies in the NLCS.
Unfortunately, we’ll never know what could have happened had Tatis been active.
Now, it’s the Phillies who are celebrating a trip to the World Series.
But the good thing is that postseason games count for Tatis while he serves his suspension, which means the Padres are going to get him back very early in the season next year.
With Tatis back, the Padres will be in a good position to make some noise and potentially make another deep run into the postseason in 2023.
The Padres will be playing the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 20, when Tatis is scheduled to make his return.
Barring another injury, which was the initial reason he was sidelined, he should only miss the first 20 games of the season.
