Introduction
Fernando Gabriel Tatís Medina (born January 2, 1999) (nicknamed "El Niño") is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). Originally signed by the Chicago White Sox, he was traded to the Padres at age 17 before ever playing a professional game. Generally ranked among the top three prospects in minor league baseball, Tatís made his MLB debut with San Diego in 2019 after making their Opening Day roster. He is the son of former MLB player Fernando Tatís.
Career
Minor leagues
The Chicago White Sox signed Tatís as an international free agent from the Dominican Prospect League in 2015. On June 4, 2016, before he had played a professional game, the White Sox traded the 17-year-old and Erik Johnson to the Padres for James Shields. He spent 2016 with the Arizona Padres of the Rookie-level Arizona League and the Tri-City Dust Devils of the Class A-Short Season Northwest League, batting a combined .273 with four home runs and 25 runs batted in (RBIs) in 55 games, and on defense he made 15 errors and had a .904 fielding percentage.
In 2017, Tatís played 117 games for the Fort Wayne TinCaps Class A Midwest League and 14 games for the San Antonio Missions of the Class AA Texas League, posting a combined .278 batting average with 22 home runs, 75 RBIs, and 32 stolen bases as he was caught 15 times, and on defense he made 30 errors and had a .936 fielding percentage. In 2017–18 he played 17 games at shortstop for the Estrellas de Oriente of the Dominican Winter League, batting .246 with one home run and three RBIs.
Tatís entered 2018 as one of the top prospects in the minor leagues. He returned to play shortstop for San Antonio, and in 88 games he batted .286 with 16 home runs, 43 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases. On July 23, 2018, Tatís underwent season-ending surgery for a broken left thumb and ligament damage suffered during a head-first slide. He returned to play for the Estrellas for the 2018–19 winter season.
San Diego Padres
At the beginning of 2019, Tatís was ranked as one of the top three prospects in baseball by MLB Pipeline, ESPN, Baseball America, and Baseball Prospectus. On March 26, 2019, the Padres announced that Tatís made their Opening Day roster. In his major league debut, he recorded two hits. On April 1, 2019, Tatís hit his first major league home run.
Personal life
Tatís' father, Fernando Sr., played third base in the major leagues from 1997 to 2010. His mother is Maria. His younger brother, Elijah, is an infielder in the Chicago White Sox organization, signed in 2019.