Fernando Tatis Jr. DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (illness) is expected to make his Cactus League debut on Friday against the Seattle Mariners, as well as most of the regulars for the Padres, according to manager Mike Shildt. Tatis had been away from the team for a few days while dealing with the flu before returning to camp on Wednesday. The 26-year-old will have a light day on Thursday before playing in his first game on Friday. The Dominican outfielder missed substantial time last year due to a stress reaction in his right quadriceps, but he still managed to hit .276/.340/.492 with an .833 OPS, 21 home runs, 49 RBI, 11 stolen bases and 64 runs scored in 102 regular-season games. With better health in 2025, Tatis' stolen base numbers should be back on the rise, and his power/speed upside make him a top-15 fantasy selection in 2025 drafts.

San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (illness) is back in camp after missing a few days while battling the flu, according to MLB.com's AJ Cassavell. Tatis will likely have a light day on Wednesday as he builds back up, according to manager Mike Shildt. It' unclear when the 26-year-old will make his Cactus League debut, but there's no rush with Opening Day not until late March. The former shortstop made the All-Star team for the second time in his career in 2024 and finished with a .276/.340/.492 slash line, .833 OPS, 21 home runs, 49 RBI, 11 stolen bases and 64 runs in 102 games. A stress reaction in his right quadriceps cost him two-plus months and was also likely the reason why his stolen base production dropped. Fantasy managers can't expect Tatis to ever approach his career-high 42 homers again after his PED suspension, but his power/speed upside still makes him a top-15 overall player.

MLB.com's AJ Cassavell reports that San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (illness) is still dealing with an illness, and it's unclear when he'll make his Cactus League debut. "He's going to require a little bit more recovery," manager Mike Shildt said. It's still early in spring training, so fantasy managers shouldn't be too concerned about the 26-year-old All-Star not being ready for Opening Day at the end of March. We probably should never expect Tatis to put up the numbers he did in 2022 before he was suspended for performance-enhancing drugs, but his stolen base numbers could be on the rise again after he suffered a stress reaction in his right quadriceps last year that cost him two-plus months. When healthy, Tatis is still one of the best power/speed threats in all of baseball, making him worthy of a selection late in the first round or early in the second round of upcoming drafts.