Fernando Tatis Jr. Hits First Home Run of 2026 Season in 56th Game

San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. hit his first home run of the 2026 season on Saturday afternoon at Nationals Park. The 27-year-old launched a 91 mph fastball from Washington Nationals left-hander Foster Griffin 451 feet to left field. Tatis raised his arms immediately after contact, signaling relief after going deep-less through his first 55 games.

Tatis entered the game with the most plate appearances of any player without a home run this season. His first homer arrived in his 239th plate appearance. He had averaged 24 home runs per season from 2022 through 2025.

Tatis is pulling the ball in the air just 6.9 percent of the time this season, the third-lowest rate among qualified hitters. The league average stands at 16.8 percent. His longest previous home run measured 467 feet on Sept. 30, 2021. Saturday's drive matched his typical pull-side power profile.

Five other players still have at least 168 plate appearances without a home run. Tatis ranks among the top players in 90th-percentile exit velocity despite the early-season power outage.