Why the Padres Should Consider Permanently Moving Fernando Tatis Jr. to Second Base

[Randy Holt]

In Fernando Tatis Jr., the San Diego Padres roster one of the premier right fielders in baseball. In some respects, he may even top the list. Plenty of that status comes from his offensive output, especially in the wake of a "re-breakout" in 2026. But it's his defense that has been his hallmark trait over the last few seasons. 

Since moving to the outfield grass permanently in 2023, Tatis has logged three well-above-average seasons of work with the glove. The peak of that came in that first year, when he posted an Outs Above Average figure of +10. Despite slipping below the average threshold the following season, he was up at +8 in 2025 and put up +2 OAA in 2026. At his best, he's an elite defender at the position, with a Platinum Glove to his name to back it up.

Yet, the 2026 season also saw him flex back onto the infield dirt for a spell. Originally a shortstop, Tatis was called to duty at second base for a larger-than-you-remember volume of innings at the keystone. A blend of injury and underperformance from incumbent second baseman Jake Cronenworth and new utility man Sung-Mun Song necessitated the move, with Tatis logging an even 413 innings at the position. More specifically, Cronenworth's lengthy absence with a concussion and Song's massive struggles at the plate led to quite a bit of rotation for their star at the position.

The results were slightly better than fine. In those 413 innings (a small sample by defensive measures), Tatis posted an OAA mark of +2. The biggest issue was the adjustment he had to make with his throws, which accounted for three of the four errors he recorded across that sample. 

By the time July hit, though, the experiment was largely over. Cronenworth returned on June 29, with Tatis making just one appearance at second base in each of July & August. As the team was wrapped up in their second-half surge and in need of every win they could accrue, though, he did start to rotate back into the mix in September. He made nine appearances there in the season's final month, with the majority of those featuring a late-inning move back to right field. 

Moving forward, we don't necessarily have an on-paper reason for Tatis to move back to the infield. Cronenworth will have a full offseason to get himself right and fully cleared from his missed time while Song will (ideally) have adjusted after his first season in Major League Baseball. The assumption is that the infield spots are set, with Song likely grabbing a bench spot to handle duties behind Cronenworth. 

And yet, there's a 'but' here that we can't ignore: But what if the Padres made it a more permanent arrangement anyway? 

The Friars are going to need to boost their lineup just a bit this winter if they're hoping to make another legitimate postseason run. As it stands, left field is a spot that needs to be addressed with a more permanent solution than the combination of Dustin Harris & Samad Taylor currently offer. However, there's also a lack of clarity over Cronenworth's future in San Diego as well.

While he's under contract through 2030 and adds a bit of versatility to the infield mix, his power has continued to wane in consecutive seasons, and a declining walk rate didn't allow him to add much value to his bottom line even when he was healthy. There's still a defined skill set in there, it's just not being realized regularly enough. His relatively reasonable contract could allow the Padres to work a change-of-scenery type deal that also bolsters the rotation (not that we're suggesting a one-for-one swap would manifest here).

Of course, if such a scenario played out, you then move to a place where you need a second baseman. Outside of a Brandon Lowe or Jazz Chisholm Jr., there isn't a whole lot of appeal on the free-agent market. And those two are likely at too high a price point for the Padres considering their needs elsewhere and current stack of position-player contracts. Whatever trade resources they do have will also likely need to be dedicated to the mound. Finding a second baseman to replace Cronenworth wouldn't be easy. 

You know what is considerably easier to find, though? Corner outfielders. 

While the free-agent market does feature the same level of past-prime names and just a couple of players of appeal (Seiya Suzuki, Randy Arozarena), it's far more likely that the team could find a right fielder that winds up as a non-tender candidate, a change-of-scenery candidate, or is just a good fit. Regardless of transaction type or context, it's just far easier to find one of those guys than it is to find a second baseman that would be both available and a genuine upgrade over Cronenworth. 

Which is why the idea of Fernando Tatis Jr. moving back to second permanently does have some merit. He seemed to take joy in playing the position and could be willing to accept the assignment on a more consistent basis as a result. The Padres could then utilize Cronenworth on the trade market and pursue an easier upgrade on the outfield grass. 

This is, of course, just one of many plans the team could pursue this winter. We don't know which players could or would be available in this scenario, and the Padres would still need someone to flank on the other side of Jackson Merrill in left field. It does, however, represent one of the surer ways that the team could fortify their lineup while addressing their myriad needs on the pitching side of things.

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