The San Diego Padres have secured wins in each of the first two games of their series against the Washington Nationals entering Wednesday afternoon’s finale.
Ahead of Game 3, Padres manager Craig Stammen made a few notable changes to his starting lineup, including one involving superstar outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr.
Padres Make Tatis Jr. Move
While Tatis Jr. has spent the bulk of the season playing in the outfield, he’s made more starts at second base as of late. After starting in right field during the first two games against Washington, he’ll move to the infield Wednesday.
He’ll remain in the leadoff spot, while the outfield will now consist of Samad Taylor in left field, Jackson Merrill in center and Jase Bowen in right.
Tatis Jr. will share the infield with Xander Bogaerts at shortstop, Manny Machado at third base and Ty France at first.
Here’s the full Padres lineup:
Via Underdog MLB: “Padres 9/9 F. Tatis Jr. 2B X. Bogaerts SS M. Machado 3B T. France 1B J. Merrill CF L. Campusano C A. Hays DH S. Taylor LF J. Bowen RF W. Buehler SP.”
Padres 9/9
F. Tatis Jr. 2B
X. Bogaerts SS
M. Machado 3B
T. France 1B
J. Merrill CF
L. Campusano C
A. Hays DH
S. Taylor LF
J. Bowen RFW. Buehler SP
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) September 9, 2026
Tatis Jr.’s 2026 Season
It’s been another great year for the Padres superstar, despite not earning an All-Star selection. He’s easily been one of the best players in the majors since the All-Star break.
The 27-year-old is currently batting .282 across 143 games and 561 at-bats. He’s recorded 83 runs, 158 hits, 20 home runs, 71 RBIs and 32 stolen bases while slugging .447 with a .796 OPS.
He’s also helped the Padres climb into the playoff picture. San Diego currently sits at 77-68, just a half-game behind the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final Wild Card spot.
San Diego Padres Make Fernando Tatis Jr. Move Before Nationals Series Finale