Padres' Tatis Jr. Possibly Out for the Rest of the Season Leaving NL MVP Race Wide Open

SI's Tom Verducci shares who could end up NL MVP if Fernando Tatis Jr. remains out for the rest of the 2021 season with a shoulder injury.

Tom Verducci | Aug 4, 2021

Fernando Tatis Jr. exited a game against the Rockies late last week with an injury to his left shoulder. This injury could possibly keep Tatis Jr. in the dugout for the rest of the 2021 season. Tatis Jr. being out greatly impacts the MVP race in the National League, cracking it wide open for players like Mike Muncy, Bryce Harper, and Freddie Freeman. In today's Insider, SI's Tom Verducci shares who could end up NL MVP if Fernando Tatis Jr. remains out for the rest of the 2021 season with a shoulder injury.

Published Aug 4, 2021

TOM VERDUCCI

Tom Verducci is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated who has covered Major League Baseball since 1981. He also serves as an analyst for FOX Sports and the MLB Network; is a New York Times best-selling author; and cohosts The Book of Joe podcast with Joe Maddon. A five-time Emmy Award winner across three categories (studio analyst, reporter, short form writing) and nominated in a fourth (game analyst), he is a three-time National Sportswriter of the Year winner, two-time National Magazine Award finalist, and a Penn State Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient. Verducci is a member of the National Sports Media Hall of Fame, Baseball Writers Association of America (including past New York chapter chairman) and a Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 1993. He also is the only writer to be a game analyst for World Series telecasts. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, with whom he has two children.