Padres Manager Has Epic Fernando Tatis Quote Amid Hot Streak

Fernando Tatis Jr. has started to look like himself at the plate recently.

Jun 10, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres second baseman Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) celebrates after hitting a one run home run during the ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | David Frerker-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres tried to navigate the offensive struggles from star Fernando Tatis Jr. for the first few months of the 2026 season.

Tatis hasn't looked like his normal self at the plate, and this has hurt the overall success of the team. However, the team never gave up on him, continuing to help him work through the offensive struggles.

And now it seems that it has been working, with Tatis starting to get hot at the plate. This was capped off by a walk-off home run from the Padres star against the Cincinnati Reds, giving San Diego a big series win.

FERNANDO TATIS JR. WALK-OFF HOME RUN 😤 pic.twitter.com/LFc2Lm4vQG

— MLB (@MLB) June 10, 2026

After the game, manager Craig Stammen was asked if his star was finally "back." He had an epic quote in response.

“I don’t think he ever left, personally,” Stammen said. “This is just waves of baseball. If that was a stretch in the middle of the season, it would probably be less talked about. But because it was the beginning of the season, those are the only stats we can look at."

"I don't think he ever left."

Is Fernando Tatís... back?@FriarTerritory pic.twitter.com/r8V20tC5Pj

— Marty Caswell (@MartyCaswell) June 11, 2026

So far for the season, Tatis has hit .281 with two home runs, 21 runs batted in and 15 stolen bases, while posting an OPS of .695. The power numbers haven't been there for the veteran, but he has found other ways to impact the game, which has been a credit to his talent.

Tatis has been putting in the work behind the scenes to fix his swing, and it's starting to come together. In June, Tatis is hitting .359 with an OPS of .903.

“He’s definitely been putting in the work. And sometimes the work doesn’t just translate in a day or two. It takes time," Stammen said. "The hitting coaches have done a great job with him, staying patient. He’s done a great job, staying positive and smiling and being OK with failing sometimes.

"But I think his perseverance has shown lately."

Tatis has been one of the more electric players in baseball over the last few seasons, making his struggles this year even stranger. But if he can start to consistently get his power back, the Padres offense could return.

With the goal of winning the World Series at the back of the minds of this organization, Tatis is going to have to be a catalyst on offense.

As of late, he's done just that.

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