The San Diego Padres have had one of the more surprising starts to the 2026 campaign in the majors. Despite racing out to a 32-24 record, the Padres haven’t exactly been the dominant force they appear to be on paper. The team is continuing to string together wins, even though several of their top players are struggling.
Perhaps the most notable development of the season to this point has been superstar outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr.‘s home run drought. On Saturday afternoon against the Washington Nationals, Tatis finally hit his first home run of the year, and it led to San Diego issuing a strong four-word message on social media.
Padres React to Fernando Tatis Jr.’s Home Run
Since he found his way to the majors in 2019, Tatis quickly managed to turn himself into one of the most well-rounded players in the league. At the plate, Tatis can hit for power and contact, and when he’s on the basepaths, he’s a threat to wreak havoc thanks to his speed. Defensively, Tatis has a cannon for an arm, and he covers a ton of ground while manning right field for San Diego.
Despite all that, Tatis got off to a head-scratching start this season. He hasn’t necessarily been playing badly (.268 BA, 0 HR, 17 RBI, 14 SB, .652 OPS), but the lack of home runs was simply absurd. For what it’s worth, Tatis has hit at least 20 home runs in all but one of his seasons, and the lone exception came in 2020, which was only 60 games long.
For reference, Tatis hit 17 home runs in just 59 games that year, so seeing him go this long without putting a ball out of the park was just strange. Tatis finally managed to snap the streak on Saturday against the Nationals, and the Padres said what all of their fans were thinking with four simple words in a post on social media.
“Fernando Tatis Jr., hallelujah,” the Padres said in a post on X.
Padres Hoping Fernando Tatis Jr. Can Get Hot After Snapping Home Run Drought
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 29: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres at bat during a game against the Chicago Cubs at Petco Park on April 29, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Again, Tatis hasn’t necessarily been bad this season, but he has been unable to make the sort of impact that the Padres were expecting from him. The fact that San Diego has been able to win as much as it has with Tatis producing at this level is somewhat surprising, so if he can get going, this team could become very dangerous, very fast.
While it’s great to see Tatis get on the board in the home run department, the Padres are currently trailing 7-3 against the Nationals. The good news is that San Diego won on Friday, so if this result ends up holding, the team would still have a shot to pick up a series victory when they return to action on Sunday afternoon for the potential rubber match.
Padres Issue 4-Word Message After Fernando Tatis Jr. Snaps Home Run Drought