Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr Has Made Decision on 2025 Home Run Derby

Fernando Tatis Jr. has earned the third National League All-Star selection of his career but the two-time NL Silver Slugger has never participated in the Home Run Derby.

Tatis Jr. has decided not to compete in the derby again this season. He said he has been dealing with cramps around his obliques and wants to prioritize his health as the San Diego Padres are in the middle of a tight NL Wild Card race.

“I wish,” Tatis Jr. said. “But I’ve been getting cramps (around) my obliques. So I’m not going to take the chances. I feel like it’s more important for me to stay healthy. Now it’s going to be really three more months of baseball where we can turn things around and make this thing special.”

The Padres have been in and out of a Wild Card spot throughout the last few weeks. The San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and the Padres are within 1.5 games of each other. 

Tatis Jr. is San Diego’s everyday right fielder and is tied with third baseman Manny Machado for the most home runs on the team, so preserving his health is crucial to earn a spot in the postseason. 

Tatis Jr. nearly missed an All-Star selection but was able to make the team through the player balloting system, which propelled him to sixth place for NL outfielders.

This season, Tatis Jr. has hit 15 home runs with a .440 slugging percentage in 88 games. He only hit two home runs last month in June after hitting five in May and seven in April.

So far, there are five participants in the Home Run Derby: Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuńa Jr., Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, Washington Nationals left fielder James Wood, Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton and Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz.

The Padres do not have any participants in the derby but have three players who were selected for the NL All-Star team. In addition to Tatis Jr., Machado will be the starting third baseman and reliever Jason Adam earned the first All-Star selection of his career.

Center fielder Jackson Merrill, first baseman Luis Arraez and reliever Robert Suarez were All-Stars last season for the Padres. However, the trio was not selected for the team in 2025.

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