With the new alignment of the San Diego Padres roster, there will be some changes to how the team maneuvers their defense. San Diego is keen on having a flexible outfield, full of players who can move around as needed.
One of those players is Fernando Tatis Jr., who has become much more comfortable in his new role. After winning a Gold Glove in right field last season, the Padres feel better about possibly moving him around the outfield this season.
"With Grisham gone and Tatis comfortable in his new position, the Padres are in the process of game-planning when and where to move him around. It will vary based on factors such as the batter, the pitcher and the game situation. The team has a general idea of how it will deploy Tatis, but its research and development (analytics) department is still working on the most advantageous scenarios."
San Diego will need their star to be ready to move at any given time, depending on the situation at hand in games. Tatis Jr. is more than capable of being plugged in somewhere for a small amount of time and he is willing to do what it takes to win.
New Padres manager Mike Shildt gave more insight into the possibility of moving Tatis Jr. around this year.
“(If) we see an outlier somewhere we think we can plug him in,” Shildt said, “we’re gonna think about doing it.”
Tatis Jr. is ready to show how valuable he is to this club, especially after such a down 2023 season. As the year gets going, we will get more of a sense into the thinking of how the team will use Tatis Jr., but he is looking forward to the challenge.
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