Sep 26, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) walks off the field during the fourth inning Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images David Frerker-Imagn Images

Padres' Fernando Tatis Gets Honest About His Disappointing Postseason Performance

Originally posted on San Diego Padres on SI
By Jason Fray | Last updated Oct 4, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The San Diego Padres will only go as far as Fernando Tatis Jr. takes them.

He's a lightning rod in the best sense of the term. The most innately talented member of the Padres, it's Tatis Jr. that essentially guides the team — for better or worse — directionally.

When he's on, the Friars are one of the best teams in baseball. If Tatis Jr. is struggling, as he was in this year's postseason, the team fails to live up to expectations.

Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado combined this series:

2-22 | 3 BB | 1 HR | 2 RBI | 7 K’s pic.twitter.com/Y1UWVTzqyC
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) October 2, 2025

Tatis Jr. and running mate Manny Machado had dreadful showings in the Wild Card series loss to the Chicago Cubs. Tatis Jr. himself went 1-for-12 with four strikeouts in three games. He spoke about his struggles after the Game 3 loss.

“I wasn’t picking (up) the ball that first two at-bats,” Tatis said. “I feel like that was pretty obvious. Just the wrong approach, wrong approach at the plate. And definitely bad timing for it.

“I need to pick it up. I need to be more consistent. It was definitely not good what I did out there on the offensive side, and I definitely need to clean it up as soon as possible.”

While Tatis Jr. may have had a rough series, that's not to say he hasn't been an effective postseason player. Over the course of five different series, Tatis Jr. has a career .317 postseason batting average along with an impressive 1.114 OPS. He nearly carried the Padres to an NLDS series win over the Los Angeles Dodgers last year when he uncorked three homers in a five-game span.

The quote in this case truly do speak to the leadership qualities he's bringing to the table. Though he's still in his mid 20s, Tatis Jr. is a leader within this ballclub. As arguably the highest-profile member of the team, he realizes the importance in setting the tone by taking accountability when he struggles.

It'll be interesting to see what the Padres do this offseason. Dylan Cease, Michael King, Ryan O'Hearn, Robert Suarez, and Luis Arraez (among others) all could be free agents — and not necessarily locks to return to the team.

Even if the team has a far different appearance next year, Tatis Jr. will return with a very good core featuring Machado, Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon, and Jackson Merrill.