Tatis' HR trifecta spurs epic 5-hit, 8-RBI night for El Paso

April 14th, 2023

Fernando Tatis Jr. is a week away from rejoining the Padres in Arizona on April 20. He looks ready to go right now.

The rehabbing San Diego star crushed a pair of 400-foot dingers as part of a three-homer night for Triple-A El Paso against Albuquerque, with the first one traveling a whopping 451 feet to center field at Southwest University Park. He finished the night with five hits and eight RBIs.

Donning a deep blue Margaritas de El Paso jersey -- the Copa de la DiversiĆ³n identity for the Chihuahuas -- the 24-year-old jumped on a first-pitch fastball offering from righty Jeff Criswell and smoked it 115.1 mph to center field for his first jack of the night.

He would make Criswell pay again just two frames later, sending his second homer of the night to center field once again -- this one at 418 feet and 111.9 mph off the bat. Tatis finished a triple shy of the cycle and swatted a three-run long ball to left-center, his third of the game, in the bottom of the eighth.

Tatis has racked up four homers on his rehab assignment and has recorded at least one hit in all but one of his six starts thus far. He's been hitting the cover off the ball just about every time.