RADIO
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
Gavin Sheets Scratched From Game 3 Lineup With Neck Stiffness
The San Diego Padres announced that outfielder/first baseman Gavin Sheets (neck) was scratched from the Game 3 lineup on Tuesday in the National League Division Series against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers due to neck stiffness. Sheets will be available off the bench, though, so he should be considered day-to-day. Outfielder Samad Taylor is now serving as the designated hitter and will bat eighth in the order against Brewers right-hander Dustin May. Sheets hit 17 homers (two shy of his career high) in 125 regular-season games but missed all of September while on the injured list with a foot injury. The 30-year-old veteran left-handed slugger has played in only two games so far in the postseason for San Diego, but he did have a big two-run home run in Game 2 of the Wild-Card Series against the Chicago Cubs. Since the start of July, Sheets has hit just two home runs, so he has really struggled to tap into his power from the left side in the second half of the season.
Source: San Diego Padres
Source: San Diego Padres
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
Jackson Merrill's Resurgent Second Half Has Continued Through September
Across 653 plate appearances in 2026, San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill is hitting .252/.300/.459 with 26 home runs, 86 RBI, 82 runs scored, and 26 stolen bases. The 23-year-old got off to a rough start to the year, hitting .219 with 10 home runs across 396 plate appearances before the All-Star break. However, Merrill has been red hot in the second half, hitting .300 with 16 homers across his last 261 trips to the plate. Merrill has been particularly key to San Diego's late-season surge as an offense, hitting .325 with four home runs, 16 RBI, 10 runs scored, and two stolen bases over his first 85 plate appearances in September. The star center fielder has lowered his strikeout rate this month to 18.8% while also posting elite barrel (19.7%) and hard-hit (62.1%) rates. Heading into San Diego's final weekend of the regular season, Merrill profiles as one of the top five-category producers in all of fantasy baseball.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
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 Removed with Knee Sprain
San Diego Padres infielder/outfielder Luis Rengifo (knee) was removed early during Saturday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Rengifo was pulled late in the game due to a right knee sprain. He appeared to have suffered the injury while attempting a throw to home plate in the seventh inning. He finished this game 0-for-2 at the plate with a run scored and a walk. He's flying back to San Diego, where he'll undergo further evaluation. Fantasy managers shouldn't be shocked if Rengifo ends up getting placed on the Injured List. If that happens, Gavin Sheets and Austin Hays would be in line for increased playing time.
Source: San Diego Padres
Source: San Diego Padres
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
Austin Hays Signs Deal with Padres
The San Diego Padres have signed outfielder Austin Hays to a one-year deal on Sunday, according to Ken Rosenthal. Hays was designated for assignment by the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday. He went unclaimed and ended up hitting free agency, where the Padres wasted little time scooping him up. Hays only played 12 games for the White Sox this season, but he should be an upgrade in the outfield for the Padres. The 31-year-old crushes left-handed pitching and could push for an everyday role if he continues to hit consistently. He could be someone worth watching in deep leagues, assuming he gets regular playing time in San Diego.
Source: San Diego Padres
Source: San Diego Padres
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
Jackson Merrill Snaps Slump With Two Homers, Four RBI Against KC
San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill helped the Padres avoid a three-game sweep in Kansas City on Sunday against the Royals with a monster performance in the team's 19-2 rout at Kauffman Stadium. Kelly went 4-for-6 at the plate with two home runs, four RBI, a stolen base, and a strikeout to boost his season batting average to .221 and his OPS to .640. It was the 23-year-old's first four-hit game and two-homer outing of the year, which was a nice way for him to snap an 0-for-13 slump offensively. With the stolen base, Merrill also reached the 20-steal mark for the first time in his career. Merrill has mostly been a speed asset in fantasy in what has otherwise been a disappointing third year in the majors. After the strong performance on Sunday against the Royals, Merrill is now slashing .221/.277/.363 with 12 home runs, 42 RBI, 45 runs scored, and 20 stolen bases across his 407 plate appearances. The Padres and fantasy managers are really hoping that his Sunday outburst will get him rolling for the rest of the second half of the season.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Ramon Laureano Is a Clear Drop After Season-Ending Hip Surgery
San Diego Padres left fielder Ramon Laureano (right hip) is not worth carrying into the second half. He underwent surgery June 5 to repair a torn labrum and now sits on the 60-day injured list. MLB lists October as the optimistic return window, with 2027 more likely. That makes the roster call easy in redraft leagues. Laureano had already slipped to .203/.286/.374 with seven homers, 23 runs, 21 RBI, and seven steals in 53 games before the procedure. The hip may help explain the collapse after he finished April at .252, but it does nothing for fantasy managers now. San Diego initially called up Jase Bowen, while Gavin Sheets started in left field throughout the final four games before the break. Keeper and dynasty managers can hold at minimal cost. Everyone else should cut him.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Jackson Merrill a Prime Buy-Low Candidate with Five-Category Upside
After an injury-marred 2025 campaign, San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill entered 2026 in search of a bounce-back season. That hasn't fully come to fruition yet, as he's hitting .219/.278/.350 with 10 home runs, 38 RBI, 43 runs scored, and 19 stolen bases across 392 plate appearances on the year. After posting a 17% strikeout rate in his emergent 2024 rookie season, Merrill's strikeout rate is up to 25% in 2026. However, there's still reason to believe that the 23-year-old's batting average should improve in the second half of the season. His 44.9% hard-hit rate is a career-best, and Merrill's .274 batting average on balls in play is well below his career mark of .305. Even amidst his first-half struggles, Merrill still provided fantasy managers with solid counting stats and above-average speed. He profiles as a prime buy-low candidate coming out of the All-Star break.
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
Samad Taylor Turning Elite Speed into Must-Add Value?
San Diego Padres infielder/outfielder Samad Taylor has done everything he can to keep a job since his June 3 promotion. The 27-year-old is batting .319/.402/.375 with one home run, 11 RBI, 12 runs, and six stolen bases over 72 at-bats. San Diego has kept him in left field and hit him second in five straight games through June 29, including against righties and lefties. Taylor's speed is the hook. His 29.3 feet-per-second sprint speed ranks in the 95th percentile, and he has converted six of seven steal attempts. His batted-ball profile is much weaker, with an 84.8 mph average exit velocity, 24.5% hard-hit rate, and 2.0% barrel rate, so his .319 average is unlikely to last. Ramon Laureano (hip) is expected to miss the rest of the season after surgery, leaving Taylor with a clear path to playing time for the foreseeable future. His Yahoo availability remains high, with only 18% of leagues rostering him. Taylor is a must-add in 12-team formats for steals and runs.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
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
