Padres re-hire Fernando Tatis Jr

Outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. will be activated from the 60-day injured list today, reports Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The outfielder is currently on the 60-day IL, so the Friars will have to make a move to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for him.

Tatis, 25, was having a strong season before suffering an injury-related hiatus. He hit .279/.354/.468 in 80 games and posted a wRC+ of 133, while also stealing eight bases and his defensive numbers were around league average. In FanGraphs' eyes, he had already accumulated 2.3 Wins Above Replacement in about half a season before suffering a stress reaction to his right thigh and landing on the injured list.

His return is certainly good news for the Padres, although they will now have to make some difficult decisions regarding playing time as much of their lineup has performed well. David Peralta has taken over right field while Tatis is out and currently has a .272/.335/.426 line and 117 wRC+ this year. Peralta could be moved to left field, but Jurickson Profar is having an even better year with a .280/.382/.459 slash and 140 wRC+.

The designated hitter spot also offers no real solution, because Luis Arraez is in most days. He is playing despite a torn ligament in his thumb and his performance is a little lower than in previous years, but his .309/.343/.384 line is still above the league average, resulting in a 106 wRC+. The club could put him at first base, but that could aggravate his thumb problem and Jake Cronenworth still had a solid season there, hitting .249/.326/.408 for a 110 wRC+.

Cronenworth could move up to second place, but the club has Xander Bogaerts there. Bogaerts isn't having a great season overall, but has gotten much better since returning from an IL stint due to a shoulder fracture. He's batted .325/.360/.431 since coming off the IL for a 124 wRC+. Moving Bogaerts to shortstop while Ha-Seong Kim on the injured list could theoretically help with the traffic jam, but Kim is not expected to be out much longer.

That's a good problem for the club to have, and maybe manager Mike Shildt can give those players a little more rest in the coming weeks. The Padres are tied with the Diamondbacks for the first and second wild card spots in the National League. Atlanta is in third place, three games behind San Diego and Arizona, and the Mets are another game behind Atlanta. That doesn't guarantee the Padres anything, but maybe everyone can get a few days off here and there to stay fresh for the final games on the schedule and then the postseason.