Clearly the offseason recovery has done him well. In just his second game this season, he smacked a no-doubt home run against the Atlanta Braves and topped off the powerful hit with a bat flip that made him one of the most exciting players over the last few seasons.

Like most position-player stars, Tatis can shine in any lineup spot, but he’s been extra-good at leadoff. He had a .309 batting average, .374 on-base rate and .599 slugging percentage in 161 starts entering Thursday. It’s rare for a hitter to acknowledge he’s locked in after just one game. Then again, a lot of work preceded that one game.

The San Diego Padres need a huge year from Fernando Tatis Jr. in 2025. There are some mechanical changes made to his swing and that could