Aug 19, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) looks on as security guards chase a young fan running on the field during the eighth inning during a game against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr Reveals He's 'Still Searching' Amid Home Run Drought

Originally posted on San Diego Padres on SI
By Gabe Smallson | Last updated Aug 20, 2025 5:30 PM ET

The San Diego Padres got back into the win column, beating the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday evening after dropping their previous four games in a row.

Superstar Fernando Tatis is hitting .234 during the month of August and went 1-for-3 on Tuesday with a pair of walks (one of which led to an RBI) and a stolen base. Although the right fielder is still contributing to the team, Tuesday also marked the 22nd consecutive game without a Tatis home run.

“I’m still searchi ng and just trying to compete every single day,” Tatis said.

This is evident in all that he does outside of the batter's box like his elite fielding value, arm strength and sprint speed, but can also be seen in his non-home run at-bats as well.

“I’m just trying to be a good hitter, get on base, and yeah, I’m not hitting homers,” he said.

The longest home run drought of Tatis' career was earlier this season, going 21 games (98 plate appearances) without a dinger. After the home run, Tatis seemed to be getting his long ball back, launching four over the next 28 games. Now, the superstar hasn't hit a home run since July 24.

This has resulted in the longest home run drought of his career, b eating his unfortunate mark from the end of May until June.

Tatis is still positively affecting games, but his ability to turn on a ball is otherworldly. As exciting as it is to witness, as long as he is still contributing to wins, Tatis shouldn't change too much about his game.

If there was an area of Tatis' game to change, he has been topping the ball more this season than in any other year he has been in MLB. Tatis tops the ball 38.9 percent of the time, which is higher than last season's 31.4 percent. His barrel percentage has dropped to just 10.8 percent, down from 14.5 percent last season.

The 26-year-old has one of the best average exit velocities in baseball, with an average speed off the bat of 93 mph, putting him in the 93rd percentile in MLB. Additionally, Tatis' walk-rate of 13.3 percent puts him in the 94th percentile in baseball, as a player like him will always find ways to enhance his team's odds of winning, no matter how he has been swinging lately.