Might 2B Be A Full-Time Possibility For San Diego's Fernando Tatis Jr. In 2027?

As the San Diego Padres' management duo of president of baseball operations/GM A.J. Preller and manager Craig Stammen fully consider how they will approach the offseason, they might want to keep one particular query in mind:

"2B or not 2B?" That is the question.

Specifically, after shocking the MLB world by having two-time Gold Glove-winning and three-time All-Star rightfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. start one-third of his games in 2026 at second base, does it make sense for him to make a permanent relocation?

Tatis' first start at second came on April 11 when he also batted second - going 3-for-4 with an RBI and a walk - in the Padres' 9-5 defeat of the Colorado Rockies. In the field, Tatis, who would commonly work out at second during batting practice, caught two routine popups, cleanly fielded a grounder and helped turn a double play.

Tatis did have previous experience in the infield as his first three seasons in San Diego saw him feature most often at shortstop before he spent the 2023-25 seasons playing exclusively in right, with one measly inning at second in 2023.

In fact, according to A.J. Cassavell of MLB.com, the idea of Tatis getting some time at second popped into Stammen's head during the 2025 offseason and he broached the subject with Tatis at the time, with the manager saying that Tatis bought in immediately.

“I didn’t quite believe it,” admitted Tatis, according to the writer. “But here we are.”

For his part, Stammen immediately liked what he saw after Tatis' first start at second: “He looked like a normal everyday second baseman,” he said at the time. “With a rocket arm on a double play.”

Tatis, according to Cassavell, also said he feels more involved in the game at second base: “It’s probably a little bit - I don’t want to say I’m more focused - but it’s just more quick action in there. You’ve got double plays. You’ve got people on first, people on second. You just get more involved.”

For what it's worth, Tatis compiled a .979 fielding percentage in his 53 appearances at second, 50 starts, which was a bit below the MLB average of .987 for second baseman. He did have 115 assists and 71 putouts and helped turn 19 double plays.

As high-profile as the move was, it seems curious that neither Preller nor Stammen, while speaking on a video call with MLB media members on Oct. 16, brought up Tatis' play at second base and whether or not he was ticketed for a typical rightfield workload in 2027 or if there was more time at second - whether or not it be strictly full-time - in his future.

Status quo would seem to make the most sense, but there are a lot of moving pieces to consider. First baseman Ty France, coming off a career year, is a free agent. Should he depart, Jake Cronenworth could slide from second first with Tatis an option at the keystone.

Depending on how the payroll parameters shake out, Preller might, either by choice or circumstance, try to trade shortstop Xander Bogaerts, which could allow Cronenworth to move to short or Sung-Mun Song to get more playing time, though relying on the oft-injured Song would be iffy.

There's also the question of who would take Tatis' place in right? Ramon Laureano has played right extensively in his previous tenures with the Oakland A's, Cleveland Guardians, Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles, but he ended 2026 on the IL after right hip surgery and is a free agent.

After Tatis' 120 games, the players who saw the most time in right this season were Jase Bowen and Dustin Harris with 25 and 11 games, respectively, with a total of 97 games  played combined. That likely makes them bench players in 2027, though Harris did start four of the Padres' six playoff games in left. (Nick Castellanos appeared in 19 games in right but was released on June 5).

So, what does a look at the free-agent class tell us? According to MLBTradeRumors.com, it's "the worst class for free agent hitters in recent memory," with Seiya Suzuki of the Chicago Cubs and Randy Arozarena of the Seattle Mariners the likely best-available RF options. MLBTR also says that there is a "solid" group of free-agent second basemen, led by Brandon Lowe of the Pittsburgh Pirates and old San Diego friend Luis Arraez of the Philadelphia Phillies, who can also play first, if Preller chooses to go that route.

Down on the farm, outfielder Alex McCoy is off to a good start in the Arizona Fall League, but he's at least one, if not two, years away from contributing for the parent club, while the Padres' minor-league outfielders that MLB Pipeline deems closest to an MLB debut are far removed from the top of the organization's prospect hierarchy: Braedon Karpathios (No. 19), Jake Cunningham (No. 25) and McCoy (No. 26).

Therefore, it appears that Tatis will be ticketed for the grass in 2027, but don't discount Preller making a big move in the trade market, as he is wont to do. So, as The Bard would say, will the Padres' offseason be characterized by "the better part of valor is discretion" reasoning or will Tatis move permanently to the dirt while Preller cries, "An RF! An RF! My kingdom for an RF!"?