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MLB World Reacts as Fernando Tatis Jr. Snaps Wild Homer Drought

The San Diego Padres superstar just launched his first homer of the season.
Patrick McAvoy|
Apr 21, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) jokes with the players in the Detroit Tigers dugout while standing on third base in the first inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
Apr 21, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) jokes with the players in the Detroit Tigers dugout while standing on third base in the first inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

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San Diego Padres

The weirdest homer-less streak of the 2026 Major League Baseball season has come to an end.

It has been a talking point all season to this point that Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres didn't have a homer. He's in the 93rd percentile in baseball in hard-hit rate and 87th percentile in bat speed, but didn't have a homer on the season entering the day on Saturday. He entered the day on Saturday with 55 games under his belt this season, zero homers, 17 RBIs and a .268/.345/.307 slash line.

On Saturday, that finally changed.

Naturally, the baseball world had a lot to say.

Fernando Tatis Jr. Is On The Board

San Diego Padres player Fernando Tatis Jr.
May 27, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres player Fernando Tatis Jr. comes off the field during the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

It took a while and baseball fans around the league certainly were paying attention throughout the campaign. It's not even as if he was just struggling. He was hitting the ball hard, but just not out of the ballpark. He hasn't had fewer than 21 homers in a season that was longer than 60 games. During the 2020-shortened campaign, he hit 17 long balls. Every other season has been at least 21 homers, including 25 long balls last year. The highest total of his career was 42 back in 2021, but then he was suspended in 2022 for performance enhancing drugs.

When Tatis is at his best, he's a high-average guy with significant pop. Maybe this homer on Saturday will be the start of him getting back to that level.

Tatis is a certified superstar. He's just 27 years old and already has three All-Star nods, two Gold Glove Awards and two Silver Slugger Awards under his belt. He's also under contract for eight more seasons beyond the 2026 season. When he's at his best, it's better for the game of baseball overall.

At the end of the day, this has been one of the more surprising stories from the 2026 season so far. Now, it can be put to bed. Instead, the focus can just be on how Tatis is playing in general, not just the long ball.

The Padres entered the day with a 32-24 record and in second place in the National League West, just 4 1/2 games back behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. That's with the rotation injured and Tatis not hitting homers. If he's about to turn a corner now, it will just close the gap more in the NL West.

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also received an MBA at Brandeis University. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Fastball On SI, please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@moreviewsmedia.com

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