Fernando Tatis Jr. Keeps Proving the Doubters Wrong

It’s well known that Fernando Tatis Jr. is on one of the more impressive stretches of his career.

Since the break, he’s slashing .314/.401/.650 with 12 home runs and 32 RBI for the San Diego Padres. His season OPS has climbed back to .806, and this is all the more impressive when you understand how his season began.

Tatis famously went 55 games without hitting a home run, and it was one of the biggest talking points of the first half.

This 55-game sample was fuel for those who weren’t believers in Tatis or his talent.

Where Does the Doubt In Tatis Come From?

Before his disastrous 2022 season, when he went down with a left wrist fracture, a torn labrum in his left shoulder, and was suspended for PEDs, Tatis was an offensive powerhouse.

In his first three seasons, from 2019 through 2021, Tatis batted .292 with a .965 OPS, averaging 27 home runs per season.

His 2021 season could be viewed as Tatis’ ceiling; he batted .282 with a .975 OPS while leading the National League with 42 home runs. He was a threat on the bases, too, swiping 25 bags. This netted him a third-place finish in the NL MVP race.

Following 2022, he wasn’t the same offensive player over the next three seasons, taking a step back in average (.266), OPS (.803), and home runs (24).

This left many questioning whether steroids were the reason Tatis was such a prolific offensive threat.

There are other things to consider, such as injuries to vital parts of the body involved in the swing and constant mechanical changes.

Despite the offensive dip, Tatis received MVP votes due to his elite play after transitioning to right field, finishing 14th in 2023 and ninth last season.

The question wasn’t whether Tatis was still a good player. It was whether he could reach the heights he reached in 2021.

Tatis Has Done This Before

Taking a look at his 2023 season, his first season back from injury, he went through a period where he wasn’t right offensively.

In his final 59 games, he posted an OPS of .669, compared to .839 over his first 82 games. But his first season in right field was so good that he still accumulated 4.0 fWAR.

Then in 2024, he hit .233 across his first 34 games. He would turn right around and finish his next 68 games with a .297 average. He carried that production into the postseason, where he was electrifying.

Then in 2025, the month of August was rough, as he batted .243 with one home run. He then bounced back by batting .293 while blasting seven home runs in September.

The point is that Tatis has routinely found himself in rough stretches that call his offensive ceiling into question, only to give us small reminders that it’s still in the tank.

What Changed For Tatis?