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Fernando Tatis Jr. Prefers Playing Second Base to Right Field
San Diego Padres outfielder/second baseman Fernando Tatis Jr. is known to prefer playing second base, per Dennis Lin of The Athletic. Tatis Jr. had only very briefly played second base in the big leagues prior to 2026. However, he played over 50 games at the position this past season after Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth missed extended time due to a concussion. For what it's worth, Tatis Jr. was significantly better at the plate after shifting back to his normal position in right field in the second half of the season. Still, the 27-year-old will likely remain an elite fantasy asset regardless of where he lines up defensively, and could have more value to managers if he retains second base eligibility beyond 2027. Cronenworth still has four years and over $49 million remaining on his current contract with San Diego, which may block Tatis Jr. from a full-time move to the infield.
Source: The Athletic - Dennis Lin
Source: The Athletic - Dennis Lin
Fernando Tatis Jr. Stars in Padres Game 1 Win on Tuesday
San Diego Padres outfielder/second baseman Fernando Tatis Jr. was one of the stars of his team's 8-0 win over the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series on Tuesday night. The 27-year-old went two-for-three with a solo home run, a walk, and two additional runs scored. Tatis Jr. set the tone by homering on the first pitch thrown by Cubs starter Matthew Boyd. Tatis Jr.'s big night was a continuation of his hot finish to the regular season, as he hit .337 with eight home runs across 104 plate appearances in September. Tatis Jr. has also been remarkably productive in the postseason to this point in his career, hitting .333/.432/.746 with seven home runs, 13 RBI, 18 runs scored, and three stolen bases across 74 plate appearances in the playoffs. Tatis Jr. and the Padres will have a chance to advance to the National League Division Series on Wednesday night against Cubs right-hander Kevin Gausman.
Source: ESPN.com
Source: ESPN.com
Fernando Tatis Jr. Riding Extended Hot Streak to Begin September
Across 659 plate appearances in 2026, San Diego Padres outfielder/second baseman Fernando Tatis Jr. is hitting .288/.356/.465 with 23 home runs, 78 RBI, 89 runs scored, and 35 stolen bases. The 27-year-old struggled through an extended power outage at the start of the year, hitting just one home run in 245 plate appearances through the end of May. However, Tatis Jr. has been scorching hot in the second half of the season, slashing .307/.383/.623 with 18 homers across 243 plate appearances since the All-Star break. He's been particularly molten in September, hitting .358 with six home runs and four stolen bases over his first 59 trips to the plate this month. Now that Tatis Jr.'s early-season struggles are fully behind him, he profiles as a five-category superstar for fantasy managers in the final weeks of 2026.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Luis Rengifo Re-Emerging as a Viable Deep-League Waiver-Wire Target
San Diego Padres utility man Luis Rengifo got off to a terrible start to the 2026 season while playing for the Milwaukee Brewers, hitting .205/.280/.254 with zero home runs across 209 plate appearances with Milwaukee. However, since being released by the Brewers and catching on with the Padres, Rengifo has turned his season around. Across 138 plate appearances with San Diego, the 29-year-old is slashing .306/.387/.430 with four home runs, 17 RBI, 18 runs scored, and three stolen bases. Rengifo does not profile as much of a power source for fantasy managers, as he owns a career barrel and hard-hit rates of 5.2% and 32.8%, respectively. However, he's struck out in just 14.1% of his plate appearances this season while posting a 9.5% walk rate. Rengifo can also lineup at every infield position other than shortstop and as a corner outfielder, which helps keep him in the San Diego lineup every day. As a depth piece in deeper fantasy leagues, Rengifo has value on the waiver wire.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Fernando Tatis Jr. Breaks Out of Slump With Five-Hit Game
San Diego Padres second baseman/outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. went 0-for-13 in the team's three-game sweep of the Miami Marlins over the weekend, but he quickly put that out of his memory in the team's 8-7 win over the division-rival Colorado Rockies at Petco Park on Tuesday night. Tatis went a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate with five singles, two walks, and a run scored to boost his season average to .285 and his OPS to .753. After a very slow start to the year and a lengthy homer drought, Tatis is now hitting a strong .285/.353/.400 with eight home runs, 49 RBI, 25 stolen bases, and 54 runs scored in 106 games across 469 plate appearances in his seventh year in the big leagues. The three-time All-Star now has four multi-hit efforts in his last 11 games and is batting .290 (27-for-93) with an .840 OPS, three home runs, five doubles, a triple, 16 RBI, six steals, and 17 runs scored in 23 games in July. After hitting just one homer through May, Tatis has seven home runs since the start of June. He remains a must-start in all fantasy formats the rest of the way.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Padres Want to Move Off Xander Bogaerts' Contract
San Diego Padres infielder Xander Bogaerts has not lived up to his contract during his time with the organization. The Padres have Bogaerts locked up through 2033, but would reportedly like to get out of the contract. The speculation is that the Padres would attach Bogaerts in a potential Mason Miller trade at the deadline. It would be a shame to lose Miller, but Padres' fans would rejoice at being out of the $25 million per season owed to Bogaerts through 2033. This season, Bogaerts is slashing .224/.317/.331 with nine home runs, 37 RBI, and 12 steals in 91 games. The 33-year-old has almost no value by himself, so the Padres would likely have to package him with a superstar just to get out of the deal.
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
Jake Cronenworth Is a Deep-League Buy After Concussion Return
San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth went into the break at .196/.286/.280 with three home runs, 17 runs, 12 RBI, and three steals in 45 games. Awful on its face. He also spent nearly two months on the concussion injured list after a 97 mph fastball hit him in the chin April 18. Cronenworth later described vision problems that made it difficult to track pitches, and he went 4-for-31 before San Diego finally shut him down. The return has been encouraging, not conclusive. Cronenworth hit .333/.349/.500 with two homers, eight RBI, and two steals in 43 July plate appearances before the break. His season-long contact quality still points to a limited ceiling, including an 87.6 mph average exit velocity, 32.4% hard-hit rate, and .345 expected slugging percentage. San Diego expects him to start against right-handers, with lefties potentially trimming the role. That is enough for a deeper-league buy, not a standard-league priority.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Fernando Tatis Jr. Nearly Doubles Home Run Total in Loss to Cubs
San Diego Padres second baseman/outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr.'s lack of power has been one of the bigger storylines in 2026. The 27-year-old Dominican entered Tuesday's clash against the hosting Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field with only three home runs in 319 at-bats. He flipped the narrative for at least one night, though, going 2-for-5 at the plate with two solo home runs and a strikeout as the Padres' leadoff hitter. Tatis is now hitting a strong .284 on the season with a .728 OPS and five home runs. He went deep off starter Matthew Boyd in the first inning on Tuesday, followed by another solo shot off reliever Javier Assad later in the game. Tatis' underlying metrics have always been hinting at a power surge eventually in 2026, and his buy-low window might already be shut. The three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner ranks in the 96th percentile in hard-hit rate, the 80th percentile in xwOBA, the 67th percentile in barrel rate, and the 66th percentile in xSLG. After coming into June with just one homer, Tatis homered four times in June, and many more could be coming in the second half.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Fernando Tatis Jr. Profiles as a Prime Buy-Low Candidate
San Diego Padres outfielder/second baseman Fernando Tatis Jr. has had an extremely strange season so far in 2026, hitting .283/.347/.367 with three home runs, 28 RBI, 35 runs scored, and 19 stolen bases across 338 plate appearances. After hitting 25 home runs across 691 plate appearances in 2025, Tatis Jr.'s power has inexplicably fallen off a cliff in 2026. However, a closer look at the 27-year-old's profile suggests that better days are ahead. Tatis Jr.'s 10.5% barrel rate and 52.5% hard-hit rate are right in line with his numbers from a season ago. He's hit the ball more on the ground this season, but not enough to explain such a drastic difference in power output. Tatis Jr.'s numbers elsewhere are strong, as his 20.1% strikeout rate is the second-best mark of his career, and he's on pace to reach 35-40 stolen bases. In leagues where Tatis Jr.'s value has fallen significantly, he profiles as a prime buy-low candidate.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Samad Taylor Worth an Add After Impressive Start to Triple-A Season?
The San Diego Padres are calling up second baseman/outfielder Samad Taylor to the big leagues on Wednesday, according to Milb Central. Taylor will get the call from Triple-A El Paso to take the roster spot of veteran outfielder Nick Castellanos, who was designated for assignment. The 27-year-old will get the call to the big leagues after hitting an impressive .319/.406/.500 with a .906 OPS, seven home runs, 25 RBI, 35 runs scored, and nine stolen bases in 51 games and 222 plate appearances on the farm. The former 10th-round selection by the Cleveland Guardians back in 2016 has only appeared in 38 big-league games with the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Mariners since debuting in the majors back in 2023, so he doesn't have much experience. Taylor could get some run in SD's outfield now that Castellanos is out of the picture, but he's no lock to play regularly and could quickly be shuttled back to El Paso. In 83 plate appearances in the majors, Taylor has gone 15-for-73 (.205) with no homers, four RBI, eight steals, seven walks, and 24 strikeouts in 38 games.
Source: Milb Central
Source: Milb Central
Fernando Tatis Jr. Snaps Lengthy Home Run Drought, Sign of Better Days Ahead?
San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. went 2-for-5 with a single and a solo homer during Saturday's game against the Washington Nationals. In doing so, the 27-year-old snapped a lengthy power drought, as he hadn't previously homered since September 27, 2025. This season, Tatis is slashing .271/.346/.324 with one home run, 18 RBI, 14 steals, a 10% walk rate, and a 22% strikeout rate. Although his speed had allowed him to maintain decent production in fantasy baseball leagues, his lack of power this year was hurting his fantasy stock and was disappointing for fantasy managers. Now that he has one home run behind him, perhaps the floodgates have opened and he'll be able to consistently tap into more power going forward. He's trending up in fantasy baseball leagues, ranking as the #14 outfielder in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Is it Time to Buy Low on Fernando Tatis Jr.?
Somehow, San Diego Padres second baseman/outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. is without a home run with 54 games and 231 plate appearances under his belt in 2026. At this point, many fantasy managers might be giving up hope that he'll homer at all this year. The three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner has never been cheaper in terms of acquisition cost in a trade, so now is the time to strike. Overall, Tatis is slashing .260/.339/.300 with a .639 OPS, 16 RBI, 14 stolen bases, and 19 runs scored in 200 at-bats. Although he's not pulling the ball in the air, which explains the lack of power, Tatis has actually hit quite well in May, going 24-for-88 (.273) with two doubles, a triple, three RBI, eight runs, and six stolen bases. The Dominican star is on a modest four-game hitting streak and has gone 14-for-37 (.378) in his last 10 games, so it's not like he's doing nothing at all, and the stolen bases have helped. Tatis' expected slugging sits in just the 46th percentile, but he's in the 96th percentile in hard-hit rate and the 73rd percentile in xwOBA. Tatis will homer eventually, but even if he doesn't return to the 20-homer mark, which is unlikely at this point, he will at least be a major asset with his wheels.
Source: Baseball Reference
Source: Baseball Reference
