Tatis Jr. HRs -- but no stutter step? 'I'm not swaggy right now'

SAN DIEGO -- How have things been going lately for Fernando Tatis Jr. at the plate? His latest home run trot told the entire story.

Riding an 8-for-47 skid, Tatis launched a solo home run in the eighth inning Saturday night -- San Diego’s only offense in a 4-1 loss to the Yankees at Petco Park. As he approached third base, Tatis opted to skip his customary stutter-and-hop -- the move that has defined his home-run celebrations for years. Instead, the Padres’ star right fielder kept his head down, touched third, then touched the plate with minimal theatrics.

It was a stark juxtaposition to Tatis’ usual comportment. He later guessed that he hadn’t skipped his signature home run move since the COVID-shortened 2020 season kept fans out of ballparks.

So … why, exactly, didn’t he bust out the stutter step on Saturday night? Tatis sighed and came up with a blunt answer.

“I’m not swaggy right now,” he said.

And what’ll it take for that swagger to return?

“I need to play better,” he said. “Then my swagger will come back.”

It feels a bit chicken-or-the-egg, doesn’t it? Which came first for Tatis: the swagger or the game? For most of his career, he’s had both in abundance. But lately, it’s been a grind.

Tatis’ first three at-bats told that story. He struck out twice against New York's Marcus Stroman, swinging through a number of hittable pitches over the middle of the plate. In his third at-bat, Tatis reached for a 1-0 fastball on the outside corner and bounced harmlessly to third.

“They've just been outsmarting me right now,” Tatis said. “I just keep missing pitches. That should not be happening.”

Then again, Tatis did not miss the 1-2 meatball from Yankees reliever Luke Weaver in the eighth. He launched it a Statcast-projected 406 feet to straightaway center for his first homer in nearly two weeks.

But that one swing wouldn’t stop Tatis from being as self-critical as he’s ever been after a game. Something isn’t working. Tatis acknowledged that he has probably been tinkering more in the past few weeks than he has before.

He’s come to realize it’s probably not a mechanical issue. It’s his approach that needs work, he says.

“I need to stop missing my fastball that many times,” Tatis said. “They've given me pitches I should be driving. Right now I'm just missing them. I need to get more picky. … I probably need to learn how to be a little bit more patient on the plate. But that's kind of not myself as a hitter. So it's more controlling my damage zone. I see it that way.”

Said Padres manager Mike Shildt: “The big thing for him is just being able to hit the ball in the zone. He had a really good 0-2 to 3-2 walk last night, said he saw the ball good and felt good. Then he really put a good swing on the ball to center tonight. Those are good indicators.”

The Padres, in no uncertain terms, need Swaggy Tatis back. Saturday’s loss dropped them back below .500 at 27-28. They’ve gotten solid contributions from the fringes of their offense. But when they’ve struggled at the plate, it’s almost always because their biggest stars have struggled. That’s Manny Machado (.234/.284/.360). That’s Xander Bogaerts (.219/.265/.316). And it’s Tatis.

Through 55 games, Tatis is hitting .244 with a .746 OPS. Not dreadful, especially considering the value he brings in right field. But it's nowhere near the lofty standards Tatis set during his first few seasons -- raising questions about whether his 2022 wrist and shoulder surgeries have had a lingering effect. Tatis has repeatedly said he’s moved past those operations, physically.

In any case, the Padres need their superstar right fielder swinging like a superstar again. They need him bat-flipping and stutter-stepping and dancing around the field, too.

“This guy's a huge part of our offense,” Shildt said. “Took a big swing tonight. He's been taking better swings. If he gets going, it only takes a couple swings, a couple balls to fall in, next thing you know, we're right back where we want to be.”

On Saturday night, Tatis cut a frustrated figure in his postgame interview. But at the end of his media session, he offered this bit of resolve:

“I definitely know I'm going to figure it out,” he said. “I'm going to get out of it.”

In other words: He’s going to be swaggering and stutter-stepping soon enough.

The Padres need it.