Fernando Tatis Jr. hits his first home run of the season in his 56th game

Fernando Tatis Jr. hit his first home run of the season Saturday, ending the longest power outage of his career and one of the most scrutinized droughts in baseball.

Before the San Diego Padres star crushed a 451-foot, fifth-inning solo shot off Washington Nationals lefty Foster Griffin, he had gone 55 games this year without homering, far surpassing the then-career-worst stretch last summer when he failed to go deep in 27 consecutive games. Tatis, who once swatted 42 home runs in a season, had also made the most big-league plate appearances (238) of any homerless player.

Nando is on the board!

Fernando Tatis Jr. CRUSHES one 451 feet 💥 pic.twitter.com/aEcYZ3ODlO

— MLB (@MLB) May 30, 2026

A two-time Gold Glove winner in right field, Tatis has served as the Padres’ primary second baseman since Jake Cronenworth went on the seven-day injured list for concussion symptoms in early May. He has supplied strong multi-position defense, and he entered Saturday on a 12-game on-base streak, but his slugging ability had vanished amid what felt like an endless struggle to regain his timing at the plate.

Saturday’s home run was only his eighth extra-base hit this season. It was a rare pulled fly ball for a player who ranks toward the top of the majors in hard-hit percentage — and near the bottom in average launch angle and pulled fly-ball rate.