Fernando Tatis Jr. needed just two games to unleash his first bat flip of the season

Fernando Tatis Jr. finally looks like his old self. He was hampered with a stress reaction in his femur last year and didn’t quite look like his usual speedy and electric self after he returned from a two-month hiatus.

Clearly the offseason recovery has done him well. In just his second game this season, he smacked a no-doubt home run against the Atlanta Braves and topped off the powerful hit with a bat flip that made him one of the most exciting players over the last few seasons. 

San Diego Padres fans can surely be happy to have the old Tatis back. He wasn’t destructive in the postseason last year and I’m sure the Padres want to avoid another loss to division rival Los Angeles Dodgers in the postseason. 

Especially when you look at their offense being the reason they struggled to end that series. They will need a healthy Tatis Jr. going into the postseason and Friday was a reminder of just how electric he is when he’s on the field. 

Fernando Tatis Jr. is the not so secret weapon San Diego is happy to unleash

The Padres are getting Tatis back to his MLB roots. In 2021 and 2023, Tatis batted primarily in the No. 2 spot in the lineup. Prior to that, he was mainly a leadoff hitter. This year, the Padres have experimented with back atop the order. 

In two games, he’s slashing .500/.500/.875 and got his first home run of the season. It’s hard to deny how good of a leadoff hitter he is. Obviously with his power, it makes it ideal to put him down in the lineup to bring in some runs. 

But the numbers don’t lie, he’s far more productive as a leadoff hitter. Since his MLB debut, he’s had at least 100 at bats in the leadoff spot and his lowest batting average is .289 in 2023. His next lowest is .295. 

This year is trending toward being another one of those breakout years in the leadoff spot. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Padres manager Mike Shildt the team was planning on putting Tatis as leadoff hitter against left-handed arms. Shildt putting him against a righty on Friday was a sign they might lean toward keeping him as leadoff. 

He didn’t have a single at-bat as the leadoff hitter last year. I’m sure part of that was that he missed a chunk of the season. 

The Padres know they want to beef up the offense this year. Their biggest hindrance in the postseason last year was a lack of timely hits. While Tatis as leadoff hitter doesn’t necessarily change that, if they can turn that into an offensive spark, it could be the difference for them. 

If Friday was any indication, Tatis isn’t just back to his old form, he’s back to his most productive spot in the batting order and the Padres are 2-0 with him as leadoff hitter.