Fernando Tatis Likes His Change in the Padres' Lineup

The San Diego Padres are off to a franchise-best 5-0 start this season with a few new changes to the lineup.

There were some offseason losses to the team that won 93 games last year — and a few new faces on the current roster — but one of the biggest changes came with moving an existing superstar up the batting order.

Fernando Tatis Jr. is the new leadoff man for San Diego.

The former leadoff hitter and batting champion for three consecutive seasons in Luis Arraez has moved to the two hole. He, along with manager Mike Shildt and Tatis, discussed the swap together and figured that they are going to stay with the superstar starting the game with the bat in his hands.

“We talked about it, me, him and Arraez, just to see how we could put the best version of ourselves out there,” said Tatis. “Good conversations all around. We decided to go that way. Man, it’s paying off.”

Tatis could not be more accurate as this move is proving to be extremely lucrative for the Friars' offense.

In the five games of this 2025 campaign thus far, Tatis has nine hits, three RBIs, and a home run in 20 at-bats. He even has three stolen bases and two walks on the year.

Fans know just how destructive Tatis can be to opposing hitters, but the 26-year-old talked more about ways he can affect a game from his new batting position.

"I like it," Tatis said. "I feel like I can start the game with an infield hit or a home run. [If I] hit a bloop, I can steal a bag. I'm just creating a situation out of the gate."

The two-time All-Star's No. 2 spot in the batting order was where he played 99 games last season and thrived, but he's not a complete stranger to batting leadoff.

In 2023, when Tatis last led off, he slashed .289/.356/.529 with an OPS of .885, 11 home runs, 24 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases in 45 games. Over the course of a full season, fans should be excited to see what El Niño has in store.

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.