What Happened
Fernando Tatis Jr. is finally on the board. The San Diego Padres star slugged his first home run of 2026 on Saturday afternoon at Nationals Park, crushing a 91 mph fastball from Nationals left-hander Foster Griffin that traveled 451 feet to left field.
Tatis knew the moment he made contact. He raised his arms as he left the batter's box—not so much a celebration as a visible exhale. The drought had clearly been weighing on him. This blast marked his longest home run since a 467-footer on Sept. 30, 2021.
Why It Matters
The pull-side mechanics tell the story. Tatis has been hitting the ball the other way at an alarming rate, pulling it in the air just 6.9% of the time this season—the third-lowest rate among qualified hitters and roughly half the league average of 16.8%. It's difficult to manufacture pop when you're not driving the ball to your pull field.
The underlying metrics suggest the power was always the re. Tatis ranks among MLB leaders in hard-hit rate and 90th percentile exit velocity, indicators that his bat speed never vanished. He simply wasn't cashing in on his best swings.
What Comes Next
Coming into Saturday's game, Tatis had accumulated the most plate appearances with out a home run in MLB this season—his first didn't arrive until his 239th trip to the plate. Forcontext, the next closest power-deprived hitters were Chandler Simpson (227), Nick Gonzales (207) and Nasim Nuñez (196).
Tatis entered Saturday with a.268/.345/.307 batting line. His on-base numbers align with his production from 2022-25, but his slugging had evaporated. He averaged 24 homers per year over that span. That first 2026 homer finally arrived on May 30.