Where did Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr.'s power go?

A total of 379 players have hit at least one home run this season entering Monday. San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. is not one of them.

Tatis had established himself as a reliable run producer in the middle of the Padres lineup, hitting at least 21 homers in every full non-pandemic season. This season, he is one of five players to qualify for the batting title not to homer, posting a .247/.326/.289 batting line with six doubles and a triple in his 219 plate appearances.

A look at Tatis' Statcast page would indicate that he is still making excellent contact. He ranks in the 97th percentile with a 54.5% hard-hit rate and is in the upper third of the majors in average exit velocity (90.8 MPH - 76th percentile) and barrel rate (10.3% - 68th percentile). Tatis has an expected batting line of .274/.345/.394, showing that there is a degree of bad luck with his performance this year.

Fernando Tatis Jr. may need adjustments to return to norm for Padres

Although Tatis is hitting the ball hard, there is a key reason as to why he has not hit a home run this season. He is hitting ground balls at a career high 53.1% rate while hitting fly balls at a career worst 18.6% rate. These results are due to a drastic change in his swing as Tatis has a 0.8% launch angle, the second-lowest mark of any qualified hitter.

If one takes out the extremes, Tatis has typically had a launch angle between 8.7% to 11.0% over his career. This has allowed Tatis to post a 25.9% fly ball rate heading into this season, slightly above league average.

The power is still there for Tatis. He may simply need to make a swing adjustment to be the run producer and power threat that the Padres are accustomed to.