PEORIA, Ariz. — Fernando Tatis Jr. shagged balls in right field during batting practice Tuesday at the Padres' spring training complex.
That is the likely spot at which he will spend the bulk of his innings this season. It's where he fits on this team at this time.
But Tatis has his sights ultimately set on a position where he can stretch his legs and be all he aspires to be.
Center field.
"I mean, I feel like I'm a top-five athlete in this game," Tatis said. "And I feel like there I'm gonna use all my abilities."
Trent Grisham is the Padres' center fielder. It is where he has the most value. It is where he won the National League Gold Glove award two of the past three seasons.
But the left-handed-hitting Grisham, who batted .184/.284/.341 in 2022, is likely to sit against some left-handed starting pitchers. Tatis is a candidate to play center field on those days.
The Padres expect Grisham to rebound to at least be closer to the player who hit .243/.334/.424 over his first three seasons. But there is the possibility he does not, and that would likely lead to Tatis taking over in center.
On the morning he confirmed the foregone conclusion that the plan is for Juan Soto to play left field and only left field, manager Bob Melvin said he "hadn't got that far yet" in regard to the plan for Tatis. The obvious move is for Tatis to be the primary right fielder, but team officials have deftly avoided formally saying so.
Melvin left open the possibility Tatis, who did not play last season due to injury and a PED suspension, could move around.
"Could be, yeah, we talked about that," Melvin said. "We still have to get through spring, and then there's 20 games."
Tatis is a full participant in spring training but must sit out the first 20 games of the season while serving the remainder of his 80-game suspension that began Aug. 12.
"He's open to anything," Melvin said. "… From where he's come from, he just wants to play and contribute and get out on the field, and he does a lot of his damage with the bat in his hand."
Tatis' left wrist was wrapped, but there were no other outward signs he was impeded during drills and batting practice Tuesday.
"I'm probably swinging 100 percent," he said. "I don't know if I feel that way yet. But I'm putting everything out there, and it feels really good. My body is in a good spot right now. … I got all the power. I have all the strength. I can hit the ball anywhere I want, and I can put any swing I want out there."
Tatis, who did not play in 2022, has hit .292/.369/.596 over his first three MLB seasons. He finished third in NL MVP voting in 2020 and second in '21, when he led the NL with 42 home runs.
A spill off a motorcycle in December 2021 resulted in a fractured left wrist that was not discovered until the eve of spring training. He underwent surgery in March and was on a rehab assignment when his positive PED test was revealed.
After opting for rest and rehab the previous offseason, Tatis underwent surgery in September to repair the torn labrum in his left shoulder that had landed him on the injured list twice in 2021.
"I feel secure," Tatis said of the shoulder on Tuesday. "I feel locked in. Last year, just in my life, it went out (of the socket) twice. But this year, everything we've done, it feels great. We have challenged it and we have risen to the challenge. … Last year I was totally uncertain. It was just hard. Any offspeed (pitch), I felt like my shoulder was almost popping out. But this year, we have tried it and it feels great."
In October, he also had a revision of the wrist surgery, as the healing was deemed to have not been sufficient.
"It definitely doesn't feel (as good as) my right hand yet," he said. "(But) I've got almost 100 percent (healing) on my bone — on the scaphoid. Last year I had 15 to 20 percent, and I was still hitting the ball out. So I just feel really good and really confident where I'm at right now.
"To be honest, I don't feel nothing on my shoulder. I feel like I have a regular shoulder. My wrist, I'm still working a little bit on it. That's the part we're still focused on a little bit more. But I feel like we're not going to be challenged at all."
Tatis played shortstop exclusively during his first two seasons and most of the third. After his second IL stint, the Padres moved him to the outfield to limit the opportunity for injury. He started 16 games in right field and eight in center that season.
Tatis' athleticism helped him immensely, but his inexperience sometimes manifested in routes that were labored.
"I feel like I've got time to work with this year," Tatis said. "We've got more time. We put on the table what we're doing this year. I just feel confident. I know I'm gonna play out there and I'm putting focus out there."
Mostly in right field. With center field on the horizon.
"It is probably going to happen," he said. "But probably not for a little bit."
