Tatis makes first start in center field

SAN DIEGO -- Another day, another new position for Fernando Tatis Jr.

The Padres superstar was back in the outfield for the opener of a crucial three-game series against the Phillies on Friday night at Petco Park.

This time, however, Tatis was making his first career appearance as a center fielder.

You’d never know it by the way he smoothly tracked down all four relatively routine fly balls hit his way during the Padres' 4-3 loss to the Phillies at Petco Park.

Tatis has made a somewhat seamless transition to the outfield since his return from the injured list on Sunday, though he wasn't tested all that much across four games in right field.

This move to center field isn't expected to be permanent. But with Phillies left-hander Matt Moore on the mound, playing Tatis in center field allowed the Padres to pack their lineup with right-handed bats, including left fielder Tommy Pham and right fielder Wil Myers.

"It's a good time to give it a shot," said Padres manager Jayce Tingler. "We certainly want to get Pham and Wil in there, the way they've been swinging the bat. So I thought tonight would be a good chance to get [Tatis] into center field and go from there."

The Padres, of course, have a Gold Glove Award-winning center fielder in Trent Grisham, who remains their starter in center. But there will be times, like Friday, when Grisham gets the day off against a tough left-hander.

Some in the organization think that Tatis’ skill set is best suited for a long-term move to the outfield -- that he could even become a Gold Glove-caliber center fielder with some training. But that’s a discussion for another day.

The Padres' decision to move Tatis to the outfield was predicated squarely on preserving his health for the remainder of 2021. Tatis has already partially dislocated his left shoulder at least four times this season. Each occurrence makes the next one likelier, and it's possible that one further dislocation would necessitate season-ending surgery.

The Padres and Tatis would obviously prefer to avoid that (at least until the offseason). That's why they moved him to right field, which they feel is the safest position for him -- no diving for ground balls, lower likelihood of collisions, less action in general.

Plus, in right field, Tatis has the lowest likelihood of ranging to his left and diving on that balky left shoulder. In center field, the risk is slightly higher. But if Tatis plays the position smartly, the increase will be negligible, Tingler said.

"I've said all along, there's risk in everything we do," Tingler said. "But if I felt this was a significantly higher risk, we probably wouldn't do it. But I feel confident with where we're at. I feel confident where his shoulder's at. And I feel confident in his baseball IQ and his center field instincts. I felt like tonight was a good time to get him out there, go out, make some plays, go have some fun."