Fernando Tatis Jr. broke a long home run drought May 30 with a solo homer off Washington Nationals lefty Foster Griffin at Nationals Park. The 451-foot shot to left field was Tatis’ first home run of the 2026 season and marked the end of a 55-game drought, the second-longest start to a season without a homer for a 40-plus home run hitter [1, 2].
Before the home run, Tatis had gone 239 plate appearances in 2026 without a homer, the longest drought among power hitters this year [1]. Despite the lack of long balls, he was hitting .268/.345/.307, consistent with his performance in previous years, but with noticeably less power [1].
Tatis maintained a high hard-hit ball rate and exit velocity ranking in the 90th percentile, showing his underlying power remained even if it wasn’t translating into home runs this season [1]. Other players with long homerless streaks include Chandler Simpson (227 plate appearances) and Nick Gonzales (207), but Tatis’ drought stood out given his established power [1].
The Padres lost the game 9-4 to the Nationals despite Tatis’ homer, which was the only Padres homer of the night [2]. After the homer, Tatis said, “I just knew right away. About f---ing time,” expressing relief to finally break through [2].
Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts said the home run would ease pressure on Tatis, helping him rest better. "Bet you he'll sleep a little better tonight, knowing that he has a little ‘one’ on his numbers... Getting that kind of pressure off his back is nice," Bogaerts said [2].
