As the San Diego Padres gear up for the 2024 season, all eyes are on Fernando Tatis Jr., who comes off a challenging year marked by a PED suspension and surgeries on his wrist and shoulder.
The dynamic right fielder has shared an optimistic outlook for the upcoming campaign, signaling a strong comeback.
“I feel way better than I did last year,” Tatis said, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. “Talent plus work ethic, it feels like this is gonna be special. … I really had a really good offseason. My confidence is through the roof, and I just want them to sit down and see what I’m going to do this season.’’
Tatis, who transitioned from shortstop to right field, won a Platinum Glove but experienced a dip in his offensive performance last season. Despite this, the Padres have high hopes for Tatis, acknowledging the difficulty of hitting a baseball after a 17-month hiatus. Padres manager Mike Shildt and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller both highlighted the importance of Tatis regaining his form as crucial to the team's success.
“The hardest thing to do in the entire sporting industry is hit a baseball,” Shildt said. “It’s not easy to just jump back into it as maybe people would expect or hope. So he got his at-bats, he got through it. There were some ups and downs, which is, regardless of the player, the game is hard.
“Now he’s got those experiences, got his offseason. Now it’s time for him to take that next step, getting back to the dominant player that he’s excited to be.”
“He’s been a Silver Slugger, All-Star and obviously what he can do defensively,” added Preller. “I think that for us to contend and challenge and compete and go win a World Series, that’s probably Fernando being the best version of himself. And that’s being a five-tool guy that can dominate on both sides of the ball.’’
The Padres are confident that Tatis will reclaim his status as one of baseball's top talents. With a 14-year, $340 million contract extension under his belt and past accolades, the expectations are sky-high. Tatis's journey back to peak performance will be pivotal for the Padres' aspirations of October baseball.
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