Fernando Tatis Jr Was Key to Jurickson Profar's Ascent for Padres

The journeyman is producing at the level expected of his more famous teammate – and that might not be a coincidence.

David Frerker-USA TODAY Sports

San Diego Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar is on pace for a career year with the Padres. His improved hitting shined once again on Tuesday, when Profar notched one home run, three RBIs, two hits, and one run in the Padres' 4-0 win over the Miami Marlins.

Overall this season, Profar has a .323/.421/.495 slash line this season. If he maintains the pace for the rest of the year, it will be the first time the 31-year-old has averaged over .300 in a 12-year career. His career slash line is .243/.328/.390.

Profar's career year didn't come without some help. He got some advice before the season from teammate Fernando Tatis Jr., who helped Profar make an adjustment to fix his swing.

“It was more finding his rhythm . . . finding what was his best load (so) he felt fluid,” Tatis said, via The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. “I just gave him feedback on what he was doing and him telling me what he felt, kind of working like a mirror. It was just good baseball hitting talk through daily work.”

The emergence of Profar has been crucial for the Padres. Profar has been part of a Padres lineup that has seen great production from the middle and bottom.

That depth has come in handy for a team that was counting on former All-Stars like Tatis, Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts to carry the load. All three have dealt with varying degrees of injuries or ineffectiveness this season.

With Profar hitting well, the Padres acquiring Luis Arráez from the Marlins on May 3, and players like rookie Jackson Merill emerging, San Diego's lineup has been able to pick up the slack.