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▲ Fernando Tatis Jr.
[SPOTV News=Reporter Yoon Uk-jae] Fernando Tatis Jr. (27), the San Diego Padres’ so-called “genius” hitter once viewed as Major League Baseball’s next superstar, is enduring the worst slump of his career.
Tatis Jr. debuted with the Padres in 2019 as a top prospect. In just 84 games that year he hit .317 with 22 home runs, 53 RBIs and 16 stolen bases, immediately living up to the hype.
In the shortened 2020 season he hit .277 with 17 homers, 45 RBIs and 11 steals in 59 games and earned his first Silver Slugger. He broke out in 2021, posting a .282 average with 42 homers, 97 RBIs and 25 steals in 130 games, winning the National League home run title, claiming a second straight Silver Slugger and making his first All-Star team.
But Tatis Jr. missed all of 2022. A motorcycle crash fractured his wrist, and he was later suspended 80 games by MLB for using banned substances, a revelation that shocked fans. He also underwent shoulder surgery, making 2022 a particularly rough year.
Back on the field in 2023, he hit .257 with 25 homers, 78 RBIs and 29 steals in 141 games. In 2024 he hit .276 with 21 homers, 49 RBIs and 11 steals in 102 games, and last season he finished .268 with 25 homers, 71 RBIs and 32 steals over 155 games. Solid numbers, but short of the lofty expectations that followed the “genius” tag.
This season, through 48 games, he still hasn’t hit a home run. In 206 plate appearances he is batting .239 with zero homers, 15 RBIs and 12 steals.
▲ Fernando Tatis Jr. 
▲ Fernando Tatis Jr.
Crucially, Tatis Jr. signed a 14-year, $340 million contract with San Diego in 2021 (about 513 billion KRW), so his every move will be closely watched. The deal runs through the 2034 season, and the longer his slump persists, the more pressure the Padres will face.
San Diego is locked in a tight race with the National League West leader, the Los Angeles Dodgers. After dropping both games to the Dodgers on May 20–21 (KST), the Padres slipped to second place, 1.5 games back. Tatis Jr. has hit just .205 over his last 10 games with no homers or RBIs, leaving many fans exasperated.
Fan backlash has intensified. Japanese outlet Full-Count reported on May 21 that fans grew angrier as the player who signed that 14-year, $340 million deal failed to produce in key moments. The outlet cited comments including: “This is unbearable,” “He can’t hit without drugs,” “The worst player in baseball,” “He’s finished,” “What on earth is happening?,” “Is anyone worse than him?,” “Please take him out of the lineup,” and “He’ll never hit 40 homers again.”
How long will the so-called “genius” stay silent? Was his home run title driven by banned substances? Fans—and the Padres—are waiting to see when Tatis Jr. will finally hit his first homer of the season and begin to perform up to his contract.
▲ Fernando Tatis Jr. 
▲ Fernando Tatis Jr.
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