Fernando Tatis Jr. Had One of MLB's Wildest Turnarounds of 2026

Early in the season, there were real questions about San Diego Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr., but all those look like they can be put to rest.

The 27-year-old didn't hit his first homer until May 30. It was a pretty big shock, to say the least. So much so that his homerless streak had the attention of the baseball world in general, even outside of San Diego. Fast forward to now, and Tatis' season looks completely different from what was once expected. The young slugger has 23 homers, 78 RBIs, 35 stolen bases and a .288/.356/.465 slash line in 149 games played. That's not all, though. Tatis didn't hit his first homer until May 30. On Tuesday, he hit his fifth homer of 450 feet or more, which is the most in baseball, per MLB's Sarah Langs.

Fernando Tatis Jr.!

455 ft

That’s his fifth 450+ ft home run this season, most in MLB https://t.co/LgCcFBx38z
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) September 16, 2026

Fernando Tatis Jr. Has Had A Wild Season

Sep 11, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) gets ready to bat during the fifth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

How about that? It took Tatis months to bash a single homer. Now he's the only player in the league with at least five home runs of 450 feet or more. It's pretty shocking, but it's also a sign of the beauty of baseball.

The Major League Baseball season is a 162-game marathon. There are always going to be overreactions and takes out there. It adds to the game when fans are paying close attention and talking about the game. When it came to Tatis, his homerless streak got as much buzz as it did because of the fact that it was so improbable. It's not like Tatis wasn't hitting the ball hard. He was actually in the 93rd percentile in hard-hit rate and the 87th percentile in bat speed before he even hit a homer in 2026.

He simply was unlucky.

When the 2026 season comes to an end, it's going to be forgotten how long it took him to bash his first long ball. Instead, fans will simply look at his overall stats and just see another great season. He has 4.1 wins above replacement, tied with Pete Alonso and Ty France for 45th in the big leagues this year. That's ahead of guys like Mike Trout, Rafael Devers, Bryce Harper and many more.

There was a point early on in the 2026 season when Tatis was talked about as one of the biggest surprises of the season, to that point. A few months later, he's leading one of the hottest teams in baseball with the playoffs approaching. What a turnaround.

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