Fernando Tatis Jr. was in a slump. Home runs were tough to come by.
As of nearly two weeks ago, Tatis finally ended his home run drought and got his first of the season against the Washington Nationals on May 30.
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Fast forward to June 10 where the San Diego Padres’ big-time slugger just dropped off a walk-off bomb against the Cincinnatti Reds.
The Padres trailed 4-2 going into the bottom eighth inning where Jackson Merrill got things going with a double to left field. Merrill scored after Gavin Sheets hit a double at right field, giving him an RBI. Jase Bowen went in as pinch runner for Sheets. Bowen scored after a single from Samad Taylor allowed him to cross home.
The score was 4-4 going into the ninth inning. And with two outs on the board, Tatis took a swing of his bat, ate the pitch and left no crumbs in a walk-off fashion as his teammates embraced him and the victory at home plate.
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The Padres won, 5-4.
Jun 10, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres second baseman Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) recieves a gatorade shower after hitting a walk-off home run against the Cincinnati Reds at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
The Athletics Lawrence Butler is tagged out by Chicago White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas as he tires to extend his double into a triple during the eighth inning at Sutter Health Park on April 18, 2026.
(Scott Marshall, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
The Athletics Lawrence Butler is tagged out by Chicago White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas as he tires to extend his double into a triple during the eighth inning at Sutter Health Park on April 18, 2026.
(Scott Marshall, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
Cleveland Guardians mascot Slider interacts with fans during game against the Baltimore Orioles at Progressive Field on April 17, 2026.
(David Richard, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
Washington Nationals right fielder Daylen Lile attempts to catch a ball hit for a single by the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Jake Mangum during the first inning at PNC Park on April 16, 2026. The Nationals won the game, 8-7.
(Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
Milwaukee Brewers catcher Gary Sanchez wears a special chest protector to commemorate Jackie Robinson Day during the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at American Family Field on April 15, 2026.
(Benny Sieu, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
April 13: The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Spencer Horwitz celebrates a home run in the dugout while wearing a welder’s hood during the 16-5 win over the Washington Nationals at PNC Park.
(Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
April 12: Philadelphia Phillies mascot, The Phanatic, entertains fans with local team mascots for a birthday celebration before the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park.
(Kyle Ross, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
April 11: The Tampa Bay Rays’ Jonathan Aranda (left) celebrates with Ryan Vilade after hitting a walk-off single against the New York Yankees in the 10th inning of a 5-4 win at Tropicana Field.
(Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
The Cleveland Guardians’ Jose Ramirez acknowledges the fans after becoming the team’s all-time leader in games played against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field on April 6, 2026.
(David Dermer, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
A rainbow appears during the fourth inning during the game between the San Diego Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on April 6, 2026.
(Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
A fan dresses as the Pope claps during the first inning of the game between the Chicago White Sox and Toronto Blue Jays at Rate Field on April 5, 2026. The White Sox won the game, 3-0, to complete a three-game sweep of the Blue Jays.
(Matt Marton, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Konnor Griffin celebrates with a traffic cone after making his major-league debut in a 5-4 defeat of the Baltimore Orioles at PNC Park on April 3, 2026.
(Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
A young Red Sox fan meets Tessie the Boston Red Sox mascot before the Red Sox’s home opener against the San Diego Padres at Fenway Park on April 3, 2026.
(Eric Canha, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
(Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
Miami Marlins shortstop Otto Lopez (6) and center fielder Jakob Marsee celebrate a victory against the Chicago White Sox at loanDepot Park on April 1, 2026.
(Jim Rassol, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
Fans try to catch a solo home run hit by the San Francisco Giants’ Matt Chapman as San Diego Padres left fielder Nick Castellanos looks on during the third inning at Petco Park on March 31, 2026.
(Denis Poroy, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
Philadelphia Phillies mascot The Phillie Phanatic entertains fans during the game against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park on March 31, 2026.
(Kyle Ross, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
The Toronto Blue Jays’ Kazuma Okamoto gets doused with ice water by teammates after a win over the Athletics at Rogers Centre on March 29, 2026.
(John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
The Cincinnati Reds’ Eugenio Suárez blows a bubble as he waits to bat against the Boston Red Sox at Great American Ball Park on March 28, 2026.
(Aaron Doster, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
The St. Louis Cardinals’ JJ Wetherholt is doused with water by teammates after hitting a walk-off two-run single against the Tampa Bay Rays during the 10th inning at Busch Stadium on March 28, 2026.
(Jeff Curry, Imagn Images)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
Fans react as the Milwaukee Brewers’ Jake Bauers homers against the Chicago White Sox at American Family Field on March 26, 2026.
(Jovanny Hernandez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
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Ballpark vibes, big plays and wild celebrations during 2026 MLB season
Two F-35C planes from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron NINE Detachment Edwards Air Force Base perform a flyover before the Opening Day game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on March 26, 2026.
(Kirby Lee, Imagn Images)
More: MUST WATCH: Fernando Tatis Jr.’s first home run of 2026 is a bomb
Fernando Tatis heating up after a slow start
El Niño está calentando.
Take a glance at his batting stats alone, Tatis has looked a bit unfamiliar early in the season, but he’s finding his way back. The 27-year-old has a .281 batting average and .695 OPS in 2026. He’s hit two homers and is responsible for 21 RBIs.
His two homers have come in the last week, and compared to how he started the season, that’s a massive improvement and a sign that good things are to come for Tatis and the Padres.
Fernando Tatis Jr. career stats
Tatis Jr. hasn’t looked like the guy we remember from his breakout 2021 season. It’s been that way for a couple of seasons.
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It’s no knock on his play. It’s been solid. Consistently average, or just above. He finished 2025 with 594 plate appearances through 155 games, registering 159 hits, 25 home runs, 71 RBIs and 129 strikeouts with an .814 OPS.
He appeared in fewer games in 2024, suiting up for 102 games where Tatis Jr. saw the plate 398 times. He suffered a right quad injury that limited his games. He still batted .276 with an .833 OPS while launching 21 home runs.
A long way from 2021
However, Tatis Jr. hasn’t put together a season like the 2021 season, where he was the NL home run leader with 42. His offensive numbers included a .282 batting average, .364 on-base percentage, and .611 slugging percentage with 97 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. He was third in NL MVP behind Bryce Harper and Juan Soto.
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He missed the 2022 season with a broken wrist and an 80-game league suspension for testing positive for Clostebol, a performance-enhancing substance Tatis said he used to treat ringworm. It caused questions about his career in 2021.
In his MLB debut in 2019, Tatis finished the season hitting .317/.379/.590 with 22 home runs, 61 runs, and 106 hits, appearing in 84 games. He finished third in NL Rookie of the Year behind Pete Alonso and Mike Soroka. Following his rookie season, he batted .277/.366/.571 with 17 home runs and 45 RBIs in 2020.
When he returned in 2023, following the suspension and return from injury, Tatis won a Gold Glove Award after moving to right field. As for his batting stats, they weren’t the astonishing numbers from 2021, but they still weren’t shabby. Tatis batted .257/.322/.449 with 25 home runs and 78 runs batted in in 141 major league games.
One thing’s for sure, two for certain.
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Does one breakout year still cause for questioning years later? Maybe. However, based on other years that Tatis Jr. has put together, he’s more than capable of turning around his 2026 season.
His walk-off home run happening a little over a week after his first homer of the season is the indicator.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. hits walk-off home run: Is he back?
