Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr Reveals Major Illness That Sidelined Him

Sep 27, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) is congratulated by Luis Arraez (4) after hitting a solo home run during the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. missed three games due to illness following the Padres' series against the Chicago White Sox, and revealed he had COVID-19.

Fernando Tatís said he was sidelined with covid, but feels back to normal, as evidenced by his grand slam.

— Marty Caswell (@MartyCaswell) September 27, 2025

Tatis returned to the lineup against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, hitting a grand slam, and following it up with a 1-for-2 performance on Saturday with a solo shot to lead off the bottom of the first for the Friars. The All-Star has now homered in each of his last three games, and is heating up at the perfect time for the Padres.

The Padres will be glad Tatis isn't sidelined for longer, as he was perhaps their most important player during 2024's postseason. He played seven games in the playoffs last year, batting .423 with a 1.500 OPS. He hit four home runs through the first five games of the Padres' postseason.

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Tatis has had a comparable season to his 2024 campaign, though has hit more homers and tallied more RBIs in 2025. He has the highest OPS of any qualified Padre and will certainly play a huge role in the upcoming postseason.

The Padres' Wild Card round opponent is already locked in, and they will visit Wrigley Field for the best-of-three series against the Chicago Cubs. The Padres are 3-3 against the Cubs this season, and both teams have scored 25 runs throughout their six matchups.

The Cubs lost rotation ace Cade Horton to a fractured rib for the series, giving the Padres a slight edge in the Wild Card round.

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The right fielder has a solid track record against the Cubs this season, batting .292 with two home runs, six RBIs and five runs scored through six games against the fourth-seed. His numbers against the Cubs are slightly lower on the road this season, however with the way he's been swinging the bat as of late he could very well turn in another dominant Wild Card performance.

Tatis will start the final game of the Padres' regular season against the D-Backs, leading off as he has most of the season. The Padres will get a day off after their 12:10 p.m. PT game against the Diamondbacks before heading into their Wild Card series against the Cubs on Tuesday.

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.