San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatís Jr is currently going through a home run drought. He has not hit a home run in his first 32 games of 2026.

Fernando Tatís Jr’s old stance

The home run drought is likely due to Fernando Tatís Jr making a significant change to his hitting approach. Over the first 32 games, he has been trying to hit the baseball towards the opposite field instead of pulling it. Tatís Jr has also narrowed his batting stance, going from 38 degrees open in 2025 to 10 degrees open over the first 32 appearances in 2026.

The narrower stance is causing his front legs to point to the left side of the infield earlier. In 2025, Fernando Tatís Jr. had his left leg set 1 to 2 feet behind his right leg at the start of his stance (his front leg was farther from home plate). 

When the opposing pitcher began to deliver the baseball, he would lift his left leg and bring it forward until it was next to his right leg (making his legs parallel). This shifting of weight from his back leg to his front leg—known as the weight-shifting mechanism—helped prevent Fernando Tatís Jr. from opening his front hip too soon during his swing, a common cause of power loss.

Once both legs were parallel, he would keep his front leg in the air for an extra quarter of a second. He would bring his foot down when the baseball was about three feet away from the catcher. When he put his foot down, Fernando Tatís Jr would start bringing his swing through the hitting zone (the area where the bat meets the pitched ball). 

Washington Nationals

Tatís Jr showcased this against the Washington Nationals on June 23, 2025. He brought his leg forward as soon as the pitcher separated the baseball from his glove. The weight shifting process took less than a second, but he held his right leg in the air for another half a second. 

He put his right foot down on the ground when the baseball was three or four feet away from the catcher. As soon as the catcher started to reach for the baseball, Fernando Tatís Jr began to open up his hips while at the same time swinging the bat through the hitting zone (the space over home plate where the ball can be hit). 

Fernando Tatís Jr. hit the baseball, which landed in ‘zone six’ (this refers to the middle of the plate, but towards the left-handed batter’s box). He ended up hitting a home run to left-center field (the area between left and center field positions).

New stance

Unfortunately, the narrower batting stance has either shortened or eliminated the weight-shifting process in 2026. Because Fernando Tatís Jr.’s legs are closer together now, sometimes he doesn’t use the full weight-shifting action from back leg to front leg. However, this change has caused his hips to begin opening a little earlier in his swing (often called ‘opening up early’). 

Consequently, when he is swinging the bat, his upper body is pointing toward right field (the outfield side beyond first base), and his lower body is pointed toward left field (the outfield side beyond third base). This misalignment of his body parts has reduced the power in his swing.

Chicago White Sox

On May 2nd 2026, Fernando Tatís Jr was facing Sean Burke in the bottom of the first inning. When Burke separated the baseball from his glove, Tatis lifted his left leg without bringing it forward because his legs were already parallel. However, as he lowered his leg, he began to open his front leg (turning it toward the pitcher). 

Consequently, once his foot hit the ground, his front hip was pointed toward left field and his upper body was pointed toward right field. Consequently, the body alignment contributed to Fernando Tatís Jr hitting the baseball to shortstop for an out. 

warp up

These changes have led to a decrease in launch angle; dropping from 9.4 degrees to a career low of 3.2 degrees in 2026. Fernando Tatís Jr. has also seen his fly-ball percentage fall from 25.3% to 17.6%, a career low.

Fernando Tatís Jr should consider reopening his stance to restore the weight-shifting mechanism. This adjustment will prevent him from opening up early leading to better body alignment and, hopefully, increased power.