After nearly two years since last playing an MLB game, Fernando Tatis is back, and he looks like his superstar self.
On April 20, OF Fernando Tatis Jr. completed an 80-game suspension handed out on Aug. 12, 2022 for a positive test for performance enhancing drugs.
It has now been almost two months since his return, and the San Diego Padres can get a sense of what the rest of the season might look like for him. He has slotted right into the top of the lineup while playing right field every day.
The First Glimpse
In April, Fernando played just 9 games but logged 41 at-bats. This time frame is one where people held lower expectations. By the time of his return, it had been 565 days since he last played against MLB competition. It wouldn’t be a surprise to many if he initially struggled to re-adjust to the talent he faced.
To the liking of many Padres fans, he would immediately perform better than the league average. He slashed .268/.302/.463 with an OPS of .766 in that small sample.
Of course, these numbers don’t compare to what fans have seen from him in the past, but how much could you realistically expect from someone who hadn’t seen MLB-level play in nearly two years?
Especially considering he joined a team going through early struggles, he was a beam of hope for things to improve quickly.
A Sluggish May
San Diego would finally see a full month of baseball from Tatis since September of 2021. At this point, the expectations were high, as Tatis is regarded as a generational talent in MLB.
The results, however, showed a different story. Fernando played in 26 games for the month of May.
Between his rehab assignment with the El Paso Chihuahuas and the nine games already played for the Padres, many wanted to see the Tatis that controlled the game. Unfortunately, Padres fans would have to wait at least another month, as Tatis only produced numbers that are considered slightly above average.
Fernando fell in line with what seemed like the entire lineup for the Padres, as they were 24th in runs scored for the month of May, 29th in batting average, and dead last in hits.
His personal slash line was .229/.286/.450, accompanied by seven home runs, 16 runs scored, and 13 runs batted in. Those numbers certainly don’t put him in MVP talks like he was two years earlier.
Luckily for Fernando, with the entire offense experiencing tremendous struggle, nobody focused purely on one player.
The Tatis of Old
San Diego has now played 12 games in June and Tatis has started in all of them. Padres fans are finally starting to remember why it stung so badly to not have him for so long.
In 55 plate appearances, he has an OPS of 1.387 and is slashing .417/.491/.896. Accompany that with five home runs, 12 runs scored, 15 runs batted in and eight doubles, there’s not much more you could ask for.
Fernando is of course known for more than just offense. Flashy plays seem to follow him everywhere he goes as he has transitioned from shortstop to right field in 2023.
In MLB percentile rankings, Tatis is in the top 3% for sprint speed, 1% in arm strength, 7% in outs above average, and 11% in outfielder jump.
On May 11, Tatis gunned Carlos Correa at home on a throw clocked at 100 mph, which was the hardest-thrown outfield assist for the season at the time.
If we continue to see a consistent month at this level of play, he could make noise for MVP. Even though he missed close to a month, Fernando Tatis is playing like a star again.
