Padres' Manny Machado Reacts to Troubling Fernando Tatis Jr. Development
Fernando Tatis Jr. has been one of the most dangerous power hitters in baseball since his debut, but through 28 games in 2026, he has yet to hit a single home run.
The drought is already historic by his own standards.
In each of his first six active seasons, Tatis homered in game 5 in both 2019 and 2020, game 4 in 2021, game 3 in 2023, game 4 in 2024, and game 2 in 2025.
Padres veteran Manny Machado addressed the situation before Monday's game against the Chicago Cubs, offering a different perspective on his teammate's extended homer drought.
"It's a long season. It don't matter. It really doesn't, honestly. We're all human beings, let's be honest. We all get frustrated when we don't get this," Machado said. "We want to hit, we want to play well, we want to do a lot of these things, but sometimes it just doesn't happen. At the end of the year, he's going to be up there with a lot of them, and you're not going to remember this part of the season." (h/t Marty Caswell of Foul Territory)
Fernando Tatís is still without a HR. Manny Machado says it's going to come. @FriarTerritorypic.twitter.com/Sq8Q9UBjvi
— Marty Caswell (@MartyCaswell) April 27, 2026
Tatis, 27, signed a 14-year, $340 million extension with San Diego in 2021 and has since become the team's face of the franchise. Tatis has hit 17 or more home runs in every season he's played, reaching 42 in 2021, leading the National League. In his time in the majors, Tatis has won two Silver Slugger awards, two Gold Gloves and made three NL All-Star teams.
Through 28 games this season, none of that power has shown up in the home run column. He has found ways on base, batting .257 with a .336 on-base percentage, but could not connect on pitches for homers. According to Baseball Savant, his average launch angle this season is at 2.6 degrees, the lowest it's been throughout his career, and down from 13.8 degrees when he hit 42 in 2021.
The Padres are at 19-9 on the season, second in the NL West behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. They have managed a successful offense that has carried Tatis' homerless streak, but they are missing his power at the plate. Whether Tatis finds his power again might determine how long the team can maintain its current success in 2026. It's not a question of if, but when, and the Padres are hoping that changes soon.
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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 12:21 PM.