Fernando Tatis Jr. is headed to the show.
Tatis, who's ranked as the No. 2 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, has made the San Diego Padres' Opening Day roster, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The Padres decided to break camp with the 20-year-old shortstop because the organization believes he will make the team better and help it win immediately, according to Acee.
Tatis will presumably slot in as the Padres' everyday shortstop and line up alongside the team's biggest offseason acquisition, All-Star third baseman Manny Machado. His promotion means Luis Urias, the Padres' No. 3 prospect and formerly their projected Opening Day shortstop, will now begin his season at Triple-A El Paso, a source told Dennis Lin of The Athletic.
By adding Tatis - who has never played above Double-A - to the 40-man roster now, the Padres ensure he's not classified as a Super-2 player, meaning he'll reach free agency after the 2024 season. Tatis was one of several top prospects expected to start the season in the minors in an attempt by teams to manipulate their service time.
The Padres could opt to try and sign Tatis to a contract extension that would buy out his arbitration years and possibly delay his free agency, as several other young stars have done this spring. However, sources told Lin the sides are not discussing an extension right now.
Tatis, the son of the similarly named former major-league infielder, was acquired by the Padres from the Chicago White Sox in 2016 for pitcher James Shields. He hit .286/.355/.507 with 16 homers, 22 doubles, 43 RBIs, 16 steals, and 33 walks over 394 plate appearances last season at Double-A San Antonio.
He made the team after a strong spring training, during which he hit .265 (13-for-49) with a .835 OPS, two homers, and four RBIs in 19 Cactus League games.
At 20 years, 85 days old, Tatis will be the youngest player to play on Opening Day since 19-year-old Adrian Beltre in 1999, according to MLB.com's Sarah Langs. He'll also be the youngest to make an Opening Day roster in Padres history, according to MLB.com's AJ Cassavell.
Tatis will not be the only highly regarded prospect on the Padres' roster when they open the 2019 season. Right-hander Chris Paddack, their No. 5 prospect, pitched his way into the rotation this spring and will make his major-league debut Sunday. Catcher Francisco Mejia, the Padres' No. 4 prospect, will also break camp with the big club.