Padres News: Fernando Tatis Jr Unfazed By Constantly-Changing Lineup
Ever since returning to the San Diego Padres in the middle of April, Fernando Tatis Jr. has made one thing clear and that is that he'll do whatever it takes to help his squad win. He returned at a time in the season where the Padres really needed an offensive spark and he provided just that.
Even though the clubhouse still hasn't met expectations, Nando has been looking like that same superstar we remember from 2021. He's slashing .240/.290/.453 with nine home runs in 35 games and has been one of the better options on a struggling Friars squad. Tatis also most notably made the switch from shortstop to right field this year thanks to the addition of Xander Bogaerts.
But team manager Bob Melvin has had to become quite creative with his batting lineup this season. The Friars remain around the bottom of the league when it comes to most major hitting stats and he has done his best to find the most productive lineup. With Manny Machado out right now, it's been tough.
Melvin is well-aware that he has quite the talent on his roster and it would be foolish to roll the same game plan out every night. Specifically with Juan Soto, he was able to find that the three-hole was best for him. And when he put Jake Cronenworth in the second slot, he had one of his best performances.
The Friars don't have the whole season to experiment so it's good they're doing so while it's still early. Tatis is all on board with it.
“Everybody has a different mindset in different ways, and I respect that,” said Tatis. “But I feel like good baseball players, especially in a long season, you go how what the game is asking. Like for me at this time, it’s how the team is looking. Not like I’m playing manager role or nothing like that. It’s just where are you needed that specific day?”
This is exactly what you want to see from a superstar and leader of the team.
