Fernando Tatis Jr. has won a lot of feathers in his young career, but his manager says he’s had enough.
San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt put him in right field and said Tatis was “throwing too many up and down pitches.”
The rant came after the Padres defeated their National League West rival, the Arizona Diamondbacks, 7-1.
The few times Tatis hit two-run home runs, he ducked to avoid pitches that came close to his head.
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Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres avoids a pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 3, 2024 at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
“Enough is enough. Really enough. If you want to throw in, that’s fine. But I don’t see what you’re trying to accomplish by letting people throw up and let them in. What you’re doing is punching a guy and letting him in. “Just turn it off, that’s not necessary,” Shildt said. “It’s happening too often and it’s not something we can tolerate anymore.
“Throwing inside is part of the game,” Shildt added. “We’ve known this for over 100 years. That’s part of it. And the inside half can be a battle between pitcher and batter. We can do it. We know people can do it. That’s part of it. But I’ve seen too many pitchers go for Tati.
“I mean, listen, if you want to puke on that guy, fine. But stay away from his body and definitely stay away from his head. That’s not appropriate at all. And no one, hitters or pitchers, can defend that, I don’t need that.”
San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. avoided a pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. (Joe Campoare/USA Today Sports)
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Tatis says it’s just a strategy.
“The pitchers feel like that’s the only way to get me out,” he said.
But he said he noticed some pitches near the danger zone.
“I’m trying to stay in the game, but I feel like that happened too much,” Tatis said. “You’re throwing it at my head. So if you can’t get it in, do something to clean it up.”
Tatis was suspended for 80 games in 2022 after testing positive for a banned substance, but he doesn’t think that had anything to do with it. It’s been over a year at this point.
But there’s no question that Tatis is one of the most flashy players in the league. Last season, when opposing fans mocked his suspension with chants, he danced to it. And his bat flips will always bother a lot of people.
He has also faced pushback from his own organization.
Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres stops jogging to base after realizing that Julio Rodriguez of the Seattle Mariners has caught a long fly ball in the bottom of the fourth inning, Aug. 8, 2023, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsay Wasson)
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When Tatis was suspended, Padres general manager AJ Preller seemed to imply that Tatis was out of his circle of trust, citing a lack of “maturity.” Tatis was injured in several motorcycle accidents last offseason, and just as he was coming back from injury, his suspension came off.
Tatis hit .246/.333/.455 after winning a Gold Glove as a right fielder last year, his first year at the position. He finished 14th in National League MVP voting last year after finishing fourth and third in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Tatis signed a 14-year, $340 million extension before the 2021 season after appearing in just 143 games in the major leagues.
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