Fernando Tatis Jr. Exits Padres vs. Cubs with Oblique Injury

San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. suffered an oblique injury Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field and was pulled from the game after five innings.

The Padres later announced he was removed for precautionary reasons.

Tatis has rapidly emerged as one of MLB's best players, finishing third in 2019 National League Rookie of the Year voting and fourth in 2020 NL MVP voting. He accumulated 6.9 WAR across 143 appearances over his first two seasons with the Padres, per Baseball Reference.

He's posted a 1.091 OPS with 16 home runs and 12 stolen bases in 38 games so far in 2021.

The 22-year-old Dominican Republic native played in just five games to open the 2021 campaign before he landed on the 10-day injured list with a shoulder injury. More specifically, he suffered a shoulder subluxation and a slight labrum tear in his left shoulder.

Ha-Seong Kim should receive the lion's share of the playing time at short when Tatis is out of the lineup. Jorge Mateo could also get some spot starts to help fill the void.

Tatis is such a major part of the Padres offense that it's hard to predict how the group would perform without him for an extended period. The presence of Manny Machado as another cornerstone helps, but it will take a collective effort to keep the club's run-scoring rates up.