Fernando Tatis Jr. stood in front of his locker at Petco Park, basking in a return to action. His smile was intact, his left hamstring healed. After 38 days, he had emerged from baseball exile. The injured list is no place for a 20-year-old shortstop, much less one blessed with supreme talent.



“It was a very long month,” Tatis said.



The Padres can back that statement. During those 38 days, they attempted to tread water. They lost more games than they won. They fell back to .500. On Thursday afternoon, they donned specially designed T-shirts. Each bore a reference to the sugar-cane chop, the post-hit celebration popularized by Tatis.



Meanwhile, the absence of another rookie dragged on. Friday will mark the 48th day since Luis Urías last appeared on the field at Petco. Unlike Tatis, he did not depart because of injury. The infield prospect spent Thursday night in Des Moines, Iowa, collecting every kind of hit besides a home run, bumping his...