Lincoln Zdunich
Though their 29-20 record entering play on Friday might not suggest it, the San Diego Padres have struggled immensely to start the season. Their offense ranks 27th across MLB in slugging percentage (.366), 29th in on-base percentage (.292) and OPS (.658) and dead last in batting average (.221). They’ve struggled to produce runs in meaningful situations, ranking 25th in RBIs with 193. They’ve shown solid plate discipline (16th in strikeouts, 22nd in walks) but it simply hasn’t translated to runs.
The onus of responsibility can’t be placed on their fringe players. Gavin Sheets leads the club with nine home runs, Miguel Andujar is batting .290 and Ty France has an .824 OPS. Before fracturing his toe, catcher Luis Campusano was having a breakout year, hitting .288 with a .958 OPS.
It’s not the pitching staff either. Despite suboptimal starts from Walker Buehler, Griffin Canning, Germán Márquez and Matt Waldron, the club has been buoyed by the resurgence of Michael King and Randy Vásquez. Backed by their incredible bullpen, the club boasts a 3.93 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. So, if the problem isn’t with the role players or the pitching staff, then where is it?
Diminishing Star Power in San Diego
To say it as kindly as possible, the stars have not shown up. Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. have a combined .207/.286/.310 slash line. But it’s actually a bigger problem than just that trio. The majority of the Friars’ starters (Xander Bogaerts, Jake Cronenworth, Freddy Fermin, Ramón Laureano, Machado, Merrill and Tatis) have a combined .196 batting average.
If those numbers don’t change (and soon) the Padres’ record will start to flip. They’ve managed to ride their pitching and offensive contributors for the time being, but that isn’t a sustainable practice. Those bats need to heat up.
Tatis’s Homer Drought
Tatis is still without his first homer of 2026. Honestly, this is something that fans simply need to stop talking about. For the most part, it seems to be a mental problem blocking Tatis more than a power issue. The slugging is still there under the surface, but his mechanics need to change. Tatis’s hard-hit rate sits at an elite 54.4 percent with an above-average bat speed of 75.2 mph. He’s simply not pulling the ball in the air enough (27.2 percent).
But Tatis has been unfairly saddled with the full weight of this offense’s struggles and that’s not totally fair. While he’s had his fair share of lowlights from this season, he’s been playing an entirely new position at second base with Croneworth injured. It’s a lot to acclimate to. The offensive mishaps are not entirely on Tatis; it’s been a team effort (or lack thereof).
