Fernando Tatis May Officially Have a New Home for Padres

Mar 27, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) celebrates as he scores during the seventh inning against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres are undefeated so far this season.

Grabbing the first two games of 2025 against the Atlanta Braves is great, but this new shift in the batting order may make things even greater. Manager Mike Shildt shifted superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. to lead off with longtime No.1 hitter Luis Arraez moving to bat second.

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Tatis is batting .500 so far in this new spot with a home run, RBI, and even stealing two bases in the sample size of his first time leading off since 2023.

Shildt previously noted, via Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune, that Tatis hitting leadoff started as just an idea against southpaw pitchers, but now looks to stick regardless of pitcher.

“I think it’s something we’re playing with,” Shildt said. “And looking at it, he looked very comfortable. Luis is comfortable (hitting) second. It looks good. We’ll see what it looks like continually. I think it’s a good spot for him.”

In Tatis' career leading off, he slashed .311/.376/.603 with an OPS of .978. Perhaps the 26-year-old will spend some more time at the beginning of the order.

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As for Arraez, he is completely on board with the superstar taking the leadoff spot in the lineup.

“I love that,” Arraez said. “Because he’s an electric guy. As soon he get on base, I know he’s stealing a base. So I got more chances to get RBIs, so I’d be excited to be there and behind him. So I love that guy. He got a lot of energy.”

The stolen bases are a forgotten aspect of Tatis' game.

The towering home runs and electric offense makes it easy to forget, but a recovery from a stress reaction in his femur last season played a major role in his 11 swipes last season. Tatis stole 25 bases in 2021 and after taking 2022 off, stole another 29 bags the following season.

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