San Diego Padres fans mock Juan Soto’s desire to still hit third when Fernando Tatis Jr. returns: "Stop making excuses, start hitting baseballs"
When Fernando Tatis Jr. returns to the San Diego Padres lineup this week, Juan Soto will be moving out of his customary No. 3 spot in the lineup.
It's not that Tatis, the team's usual leadoff hitter before 2022, will be hitting third. Rather, the Padres want to break up the left- and right-handed batters at the top of the order.
Juan Soto prefers hitting third, his position in the Padres’ lineup the last nine games.
But Soto is expected to move up in the order when Fernando Tatís Jr. returns.
@Ken_Rosenthal explains why San Diego will tinker with its lineup and what it means:
theathletic.com/4419066/2023/0…
According to a report from Ken Rosenthal of the Atlantic, that means a righty, Tatis, hits first; a lefty, Soto, second; right-handed hitters Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts third and fourth, respectively; and lefty Jake Croenenworth fifth.
While Juan Soto has hit third for the majority of his career between the Padres and Washington Nationals, he told Rosenthal that he has no problem with moving into the No. 2 spot upon Fernando Tatis Jr.'s return:
"I'm fine with that. They explained it to me in spring training. They want two righties behind me so they don’t bring in a lefty for me. I like the plan."
However, in a case of people not reading the context of Rosenthal's story, San Diego fans took the opportunity of seeing "Soto prefers to hit third" to singe the slumping left fielder at length.
@Ken_Rosenthal If Soto could hit like Soto maybe he could stay at 3. But we haven’t seen that since the trade deadline
@Ken_Rosenthal @dennistlin Soto saying weird shit instead of concentrating on not sucking ass
@TheAthletic @Ken_Rosenthal Not sure the .172-hitting Juan Soto, who hasn't been good since 2021, should have a huge say in this
Juan Soto has not exactly lit the baseball world on fire since he was traded from Washington to San Diego last season. A .291 hitter with 119 home runs in 565 games with the Nationals, he is hitting just .221 with nine homers in 69 games with the Padres.
While many San Diegans seemed willing to forgive Soto's less-than-stellar stats last summer and autumn, they are beginning to get mighty rankled as his slump has continued into 2023. Entering Monday's game against the Atlanta Braves, he is hitting just .172 this season.
@Ken_Rosenthal Soto can ride the pine as far as I am concerned. Dude is the most overrated player ever and the trade looks like a bust so far.
@TheAthletic @Ken_Rosenthal Needs to start swinging the bat
@Ken_Rosenthal Dear @JuanSoto25_ you are literally the only one on the roster thinking about free agency now. (Except maybe Snell) And that's only because you passed up $440M. Stop making excuses. Start hitting baseballs.
Of course, not all Padres fans are in Fernando Tatis Jr.'s corner. He lost a lot of fans due to his embattled 2022 that saw him out for most of the season due to a fractured wrist suffered in an offseason motorcycle accident, and then was suspended 80 games after testing positive for PEDs just before he was set to return.
@TheAthletic @Ken_Rosenthal Fuck Tatis. They already have him locked up. If they wanna keep Soto around long term, they should do what they can to appease him this year. He’s a better player than Tatis anyway.
@TheAthletic @Ken_Rosenthal Imagine inconveniencing Soto for a guy who didn't start and probably won't finish the season with the team....
As far as Juan Soto goes, San Diego fans are beginning to fear that there is some kind of curse on him since his cross-country trade. The six-year veteran is not eligible for free agency until after the 2024 season, and Padre Nation is beginning to wonder if they will ever see the superstar who helped Washington win the 2019 World Series.
@TheAthletic @Ken_Rosenthal Padres ruined him
@Ken_Rosenthal So sad with Soto I hate how almost every big name player to go to the paders (Machado an exception) just plays like hot garbage
Fernando Tatis Jr. joins Juan Soto in the lineup on Thursday
Fernando Tatis Jr. has been tearing up Triple-A pitching during his rehab assignment. He is expected to rejoin the Padres when his suspension ends on Thursday. The new-look San Diego lineup may take the field for the first time when the team travels to face the Arizona Diamondbacks that day.