After the 2021 season, Fernando Tatis Jr.'s star was brighter than ever. The Padres superstar was one of MLB's elite players, and few players were more valuable to their team than him.
With a 14-year contract under his belt, Tatis Jr. was clearly the face of the Padres' future…except that.
In 2022, the chain quickly landed for Tatis Jr., who had a motorcycle accident during the lockout. An absence of several months awaited him, but a return to the All-Star break was possible.
In the end, however, he never had the chance to return: he was suspended for using performance-enhancing drugs, a suspension that would cause him to miss the first matches of the 2023 season.
From a young superstar, he quickly fell into the bad graces of many fans.
In 2023, that said, he returned to the game, and although his batting left something to be desired, he began to excel defensively, now playing right field on a regular basis. In fact, he was downright one of the best defensive players in the league this year.
However, in 2024, the departure of Trent Grisham means that there is a hole to fill in center field… and as AJ Preller states, it is not impossible that Tatis Jr. moves to the #8 position .
Tatis Jr. won't be the only one considered for the job: prospect Jakob Marsee, a club prospect who spent most of last year in the A+, will also get a chance.
José Azocar may also be an option, and a new acquisition is still possible by the end of the off-season.
That said, the departures of Grisham and Juan Soto force the Padres to evaluate various options. On paper, Tatis Jr. has all the tools to excel in center field, but Preller is well aware that his player seems to have found his place in right field.
I'm more of a believer in the possibility of a cheap signing for a center fielder, personally, but you never know.
We will therefore see what awaits Tatis Jr. in 2024, but the possibility of sending him to center field seems more than realistic.
Either way, he won't return to shortstop.
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