Padres will have to get by without Tatis Jr.

SAN DIEGO — Just days after baseball returned, euphoria turned to heartbreak for the San Diego Padres.

Shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. entered spring training with a left wrist fracture — believed to be after a motorcycle accident in his native Dominican Republic in December — and is expected to be out until June.

The Padres later saw several top free agents sign with other hosts.

Going without Tatis at the start of the season is relevant as the team tries to bounce back from its collapse last September. The Dominican star who had signed a $340 million contract led the National League with 42 home runs last year and finished third in the MVP voting after being limited to 130 games due to injuries and COVID-19.

The Padres will fill that gap with second-year player Kim Ha-seong. They will have newly acquired Luke Voit at designated hitter and Matt Beaty in left field. And they hope their rotation doesn’t crash like it did last season.

The Padres release a new pilot. Bob Melvin has left Oakland and takes the reins in San Diego, after last season’s slump precipitated the firing of Jayce Tingler. They finished 79-83, their 10th losing season since 2011.

Melvin, a three-time Manager of the Year, inherits a team that should be competitive.

“When you have a payroll of 200 million, you think that’s the case,” Melvin acknowledged. “You get the kind of support from the owners that allows you to win.”

WHO REPLACES THE CHILD?

Kim will take over at shortstop until Tatis returns. The 26-year-old South Korean struggled at the plate in his rookie season, but was solid at shortstop, second base and third base.

The Padres will have to decide if their top prospects — shortstop CJ Abrams and left-hander MacKenzie Gore — are ready for the big leagues. Both have been impressive in spring training.

Voit, expendable after the Yankees signed Anthony Rizzo to a two-year deal, will be the designated hitter and will occasionally relieve Eric Hosmer at first base. They expect Beaty to alternate in the left woods, alongside Jurickson Profar. Colombian catcher Jorge Alfaro, who arrived from Miami before the lockout, has been impressive.

Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Mike Clevinger and Blake Snell are all set in the rotation, according to Melvin. But Snell started his preparation late and they’ll be careful about loading him into the regular season. The candidates for fifth place are Chris Paddack, Nick Martinez, Ryan Weathers and Gore.

The Padres head into the season not knowing who their closer will be after Mark Melancon left for Arizona. The candidates are Dinelson Lamet, Emilio Pagán and Robert Suárez.

Musgrove threw the Padres’ first no-hitter in his second game as a starter against Texas on April 9. He was also the only member of the rotation not to miss a game as a starter, going 11-9 with a 3.18 ERA with 203 strikeouts in 181 1/3 innings.