Fernando Tatis Jr. hinted at breaking his home run drought after he slugged a 451-foot solo shot to left field against the Nationals on Saturday. The shot came after 240 plate appearances, and the Padres fans might have had a sigh of relief. But Tatis’ struggle is yet to get over as another baserunning error cost a game against the Phillies. A routine play was just made difficult by Tatis himself, and Alec Bohm’s unfamiliar act ended Tatis’ innings in the eighth and eventually the Padres’ last hope on Tuesday.

Tatis’ mental error was visible, and former Red Sox veteran Pedro Martinez offered a stark reality check.

“Fernando Tatis: Don’t let anybody play with your mind. As an elite player, your mindset should never change. Just do what you mentally know to do!” Martinez shared via X.

Tatis’ gaffe on Tuesday is more of a mental lapse than a full-blown slump. The Padres entered 2-3 in the eighth with Tatis at the plate. He scored a single to lead off the inning. However, the Padres faced the next two outs without moving Tatis from the first. Gavin Sheets and Manny Machado offered routine flyballs. Miguel Andujar entered and hit a grounder to the third.

The hit was so slow that Andujar covered the first while Tatis covered the second. However, Tatis didn’t stop at the second. His mental gaffe forced him to think that Bohm at the third would hit at the first, only considering it was the third out, and Tatis could cover the third. Bohm faked his throw to the first and instead threw to the second. All of a sudden, Tatis found three Phillies fielders surrounding him. He tried to sprint, only to be tagged out.

The Phillies’ $10.2 million infielder played with Tatis’ mind, and Martinez wonders why Tatis, being an elite player, would get duped like this. However, this is not the first time that Tatis has faced a mental gaffe this year.

Against the Cardinals, Tatis misplayed a hard ground ball, allowing it to roll under his glove all the way to the wall and resulting in a rare Little League grand slam. Tatis looked up too early to prepare for a throw home, and the ball got past him, allowing three runners to score while the batter circled the bases.

Tatis’ .275 average may look good, but his 1 homer so far portrays his offensive slump and his mental blunders, making things difficult for the Padres, considering they splashed $340 million on him!

Well, for Fernando Tatis Jr., the rough phase is going beyond the foul line.

Fernando Tatis lost a huge court battle

Back in 2017, Tatis signed a deal with an investment firm, Big League Advance (BLA). As per the deal, BLA gave him an upfront advance of $2 million. In exchange, Tatis agreed to give the firm 10% of his future professional baseball earnings. 

Now, as Tatis secured a $340 million deal with the Padres, BLA is supposed to get 10% of it, which will be around $34 million. However, after 2024, Tatis stopped making payments to BLA and filed a lawsuit in 2025. He claimed the company used predatory and unlawful tactics to manipulate teenagers into unfair agreements.

A San Diego Superior Court judge dismissed his attempt to void the agreement. Tatis was ordered to pay around $3.2 million and another $240,000 in attorney fees.

The ruling came just at a time when Tatis is facing probably the most challenging phase in his career. While his performance is getting scrutinized post his $340 million signing, neither could he offer better numbers on the field, nor could he retain all his earnings. For now, though, Tatis’ first home run of 2026 is the only silver lining for fans.