Padres Manager Addresses Fernando Tatis' Questionable Decision in Loss to Mets

Just a few weeks ago, the San Diego Padres were in a back and forth race with the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the National League West.

San Diego's momentum early in the season was impressive given the lack of slug in the lineup. But eventually, their offensive woes caught up to them.

The Padres have now lost 11 of their last 13 games in a skid that has dropped them into third place in the NL West.

On Sunday, a base running blunder effectively halted a potential Padres' comeback against the Mets, leading them to lose the series to the disappointing New York team.

Fernando Tatis Jr., one of the Padres' slumping stars who's been better as of late, attempted to steal third base in the fifth inning but was caught to end the inning.

Ty France was up to bat as the tying run and Tatis was already in scoring position, which begged the question: Should Tatis have tried to steal third?

Trying to steal third with two outs and the tying run at the plate is egregious, not aggressive. No excusing it. Very little reward (if any) with a high degree of risk. Shouldn’t happen at the big league level. pic.twitter.com/1naLnFqWcV
— Jon Schaeffer (@jonschaeffer) June 8, 2026

The Padres star discussed the decision following the team's 7-3 loss to the Mets Sunday.

“Just plans — from myself and the team,” Tatis said, via the San Diego Union-Tribune. “Couldn’t execute it, but obviously we’ve been more aggressive on the bases this year.”

Tatis has been active on the bases this year, recording his 15th stolen base following a leadoff walk Sunday. He's also been caught stealing a total of seven times this season, which already ties his career-high one week into June.

“Yeah, he has been caught seven times, and we’re continually coaching him on the right time to go and the wrong times to go, and sometimes it’s a 50/50 shot,” manager Craig Stammen said. “But I like him taking the chance of being aggressive and trying to make something happen.”

Stammen was asked by reporters whether Tatis attempting to steal third was the right decision in a two-run game when he was already in scoring position.

“When Tati goes, I think it’s always the right time to go. I’ll have his back no matter what, and I believe in that kid. That kid, when he’s going like that, we go, and he’s trying to create some offense for us. I think it’s a great thing," Stammen said in defense of Tatis.

The 2026 season has arguably been the worst of Tatis' career offensively. He's batting .273 with one home run, 19 runs batted in and an OPS of .670. While he's performing the best out of the Padres' trio of superstars, the team's struggles are certainly more pronounced because of Tatis' ongoing power drought.

The Padres are still two games above .500, but are quickly losing ground in a competitive division. President of baseball operations A.J. Preller will surely be busy at this summer's trade deadline, but will it be enough to get the Padres a shot at surviving October?

The World Series window appears to be closing sooner than the Padres had hoped. The deadline will be huge for the Friars, but only time will well whether San Diego has what it takes to make a deep playoff run.

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