Maybe you have forgotten how good Diego Padres’ star Fernando Tatis Jr. is at baseball. Many people have, especially since he hasn’t played at all in 2022 and struggled upon returning this season. So, Tatis made sure to remind us all on Saturday during San Diego Padres’ 5-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Stepping on the plate in the first inning, Tatis launched a home run off Merrill Kelly’s fastball and gave Padres the lead. This was the first homer of the season for Tatis and his first since 2021.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve done that in the big leagues,” said Tatis after the game. “I’m glad I got it out of the way.”
Fernando Tatis Jr. led the national league in home runs in 2021, launching 42 of them in 130 games. However, he didn’t have a chance to get any last year as he didn’t play a single game. Tatis first missed time due to a wrist injury and was then suspended for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
In his first game of the season, Tatis was hitless and looked like he’ll need some time to find his groove back. While that still might be the case, the Padres will be happy knowing that the 24-year-old player at least didn’t forget how to hit home runs.
