Padres News: Outfield health concerns, Petco Park dominance, Fernando Tatis Jr. best hitter in National League

The injury bug continues to bite the San Diego Padres. With Jackson Merrill, Yu Darvish, Jake Cronenworth, and Matt Waldron already on the shelf, the Friars can add one more outfielder to the IL.

Brandon Lockridge is dealing with left hamstring issues, so he is headed to the 10-day, calling up Connor Joe in his place. In the minors this season, Joe is a .240 hitter in 13 games with 11 walks and four doubles. The 32-year-old will look to provide some stability to an outfield that's been riddle by injuries already.

That includes Fernando Tatis Jr., too, but his brief scare last week appears to be a thing a past. His left shoulder was giving him problems again, but Tatis Jr. has homered four times since then, doing so across four games with five RBIs six runs scored.

He's now batting .361 this season with a 1.101 OPS behind a league-high six home runs with 12 RBIs, 16 runs, and six stolen bases. His performance in April is already begging the question: Is Fernando Tatis Jr. the best hitter in the National League? His fans believe so, and gave him an MVP chant on Monday night after the Padres' 10-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

San Diego Padres remain undefeated at Petco Park

The come-from-behind win improved the Friars to 11-0 at home in 2025. Off to their best start since 1998, San Diego is clearly syncing well with the home crowd (which is exactly what Mookie Betts talked about this offseason regarding the Padres taking that next step). The visiting team could sense the noise at this park, and it is clear that the Padres are finally capitalizing on that advantage.

The Friars have fired six shutouts in 2025, all of which occurred at home. Despite a 14-3 overall record, San Diego only has a 2.5-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers. So not only is this utter dominance impressive, but it is imperative. Hopefully the injuries won't catch up to the streaking Padres, but they are playing as good of baseball as anyone could ask right now.