The Padres’ superstar right fielder is in the midst of an unkind slump that stems back to mid-May. The slugger looks to get back on track as the Friars continue a six-game home stand.

Fernando Tatis Jr. can be one of baseball’s most electric and exciting players when on his game.

The slugger put that on display on May 13 against the Los Angeles Angels by hitting his first walk-off home run, scorching a Kenley Jansen cutter 430 feet into the Friar bullpen to give San Diego a 6-4 victory. After a dramatic bat flip and hitting his famous stutter step while rounding third base, a fired-up Tatis celebrated with teammates at home plate. He appeared ecstatic as ever.

FERNANDO TATIS JR. WALKS IT OFF! pic.twitter.com/cjQHQcHPJ2

— MLB (@MLB) May 14, 2025

Now, just over a week and a half after putting his name in the early National League MVP discussion, the two-time MLB All-Star finds himself in a rut at the plate. Since May 14, Tatis is 6-for-45 (.133 batting average) with no multi-hit games and only three extra-base hits.

Although he’s maintained a career-low K% so far this season (19.8% per Baseball Savant), his plate discipline has also waned throughout the slump, punching out 15 times during the 45 at-bat stretch.

The last week and a half of team play from the Padres was a glimpse of what a season might look like without production from their stars. Unfortunately, San Diego rode a six-game losing streak from May 16-22, at one point enduring back-to-back sweeps at the hands of the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays. In all fairness to Tatis, co-stars Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill also went cold throughout the team-wide dry spell.

Nando needs the drums

The Padres have reclaimed control of the waning ship at least for the moment. After taking two out of three games from the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park over the weekend, they returned home to Petco Park for a six-game home stand starting with the Miami Marlins on Monday night. The series’ first game saw the San Diego lineup battle old friend Ryan Weathers.

Despite a 4-3 walk-off victory after a wild pitch from Miami left-handed reliever Cade Gibson, Tatis finished his night 0-for-5 with a strikeout. His batting average has dipped to a season-low .275 and has now posted a less-than-ideal .621 OPS in the entire month of May.

As fans expect to go see the vibrant outfielder deliver big moments and energy at Petco Park, the last 10 games have been a reminder that these larger-than-life players are human after all. Tatis has appeared visibly frustrated at points. Emotionless even. After his emphatic walk-off of the Angels on May 13, the 26-year-old stated these comments postgame:

“The game has ups and downs. Some days you feel tired, you feel dragging. Some days you have stuff on your mind and you don’t feel your best. We play this game every single day, and every day we’re not 100%.”

The Padres sit at 30-22, which is good enough for second place in the bloodbath division, which is the National League West. It’s clear they’ll need their stars to keep pace with the leading Los Angeles Dodgers and not-so-distant San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks. With five games remaining on the current home stand, Tatis has an opportunity to get back on track. So far this year at home, he’s slashing .320/.384/.600 with a .984 OPS and eight home runs.

Oh my, Fernando Tatis Jr. ? pic.twitter.com/Konnxrflwe

— MLB (@MLB) April 15, 2025

The platinum glover has shown he’s too good not to put up gaudy numbers for a year. Whatever adjustments are made for him to get back on track will only help San Diego sail the course of a 162-game season. Hopes are that Fernando Tatis Jr. hears the drums very loudly soon. Best believe it won’t take too long for him to find his footing once again.

Armando Dueñas

Armando Dueñas is a 25 year-old journalist. He is a native San Diegan who grew up in the South Bay area. A lifelong Padres fan and baseball enthusiast, he resides just about fifteen minutes from Petco Park, where his love of the game began.