Tatis Jr. embraces batting cleanup, aiming to drive in more runs. He feels "great" with this strategic lineup shift, eager for RBI opportunities.
The San Diego Padres saw manager Mike Shildt retiring, which meant another manager search for San Diego.
In the end, the Padres hired former reliever Craig Stammen.
Stammen pitched for the Padres during his MLB career and he has spent time in the front office as well, so he won the job.
So far, Stammen is a massive difference and polar opposite of Shildt in plenty of ways.
During the Padres' first Cactus League game, Stammen raised eyebrows with a new-look lineup full of surprises.
- Xander Bogaerts, SS
- Jackson Merrill, CF
- Manny Machado, 3B
- Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
- Jake Cronenworth, 2B
- Nick Castellanos, 1B
- Luis Campusano, C
- Ty France, DH
- Nick Schnell, LF
Now, Stammen insisted on not reading much into this. But, Tatis in the cleanup spot was intriguing, which is a drastic change from him as the primary leadoff hitter for the past few years.
In several circumstances, Stammen has used the top four in this same order, so perhaps the new manager is considering moving Tatis down with hopes of driving in more runs.
On Friday, Tatis opened up about being the cleanup hitter, and it seems like he is on board.
"I feel great out there," Tatis said. "I love having people on-base, so better to get those RBIs going."
Right now, Tatis feels comfortable in that spot, especially if Xander Bogaerts, Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado can get on base and give him a chance to drive in runs.
Tatis, along with Machado and Wandy Peralta, are heading out to the World Baseball Classic as they are all on the Dominican Republic squad, so his Cactus League stint is pausing the WBC.
Stammen sure made a bold move from the first Cactus League game and even though he didn't seem too concerned, it has been a common theme so far this spring.
Bogaerts' moving to the top makes sense, especially with him not batting well with runners in scoring position.
Merrill and Machado are perfect table-setters, with Tatis showing time and time again that he can provide power to the lineup.
This was Friday's lineup in another Cactus League game.
Tatis played a career-high 155 games in 2025, hitting .268 with 25 home runs and 71 RBIs, but the Padres are hoping he can get back to the 40-home run mark and finally cross the 100-RBI threshold.
Perhaps, as odd as it seems, batting him cleanup makes sense, especially if you can put guys such as Ramon Laureano, Miguel Andujar and Nick Castellanos behind him in the batting order.
Maybe Craig Stammen's bold move will pay off.