Tatis makes Padres' Opening Day roster

Welcome to The Show, Fernando Tatis Jr.
The top Padres prospect has made the club's Opening Day roster, MLB.com's AJ Cassavell confirmed Tuesday. Tatis will begin the season in San Diego against San Francisco on Thursday.

Tatis, who will be the youngest Padre in history to play on Opening Day, hadn't been higher than Double-A in his three-year professional career. He compiled a slash line of .241/.317/.444 in 54 at-bats this spring.

At 20, Fernando Tatis will be the youngest player in Padres history to play on Opening Day. Luis Torrens, a Rule 5 pick, got a pinch-hit at-bat two years ago. Circumstances are a bit different this time around.

— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) March 27, 2019

Tatis batted at least .270 in his three Minor League seasons, topping out at .286 last year at Double-A San Antonio. He hit 16 homers and racked up 43 RBIs in just 88 games. The 20-year-old has shown the ability to spread the ball to all fields. When he gets on base, he's a plus runner.
The son of former Major League Fernando Tatis figures to be a strong defender at shortstop, possessing good range and a strong arm. His first step and overall athleticism help him with the glove, and scouts say he makes plays that others at his position can't.

Tatis will be joined by two other Padres prospects in the club's top five in San Diego, as manager Andy Green confirmed Tuesday that fourth-ranked Francisco Mejía will split time behind the plate and told Chris Paddack (No. 5) that he'd earned a spot in the big league rotation.
Mejia batted .293 with 262 runs scored across six seasons in the Minors between the Padres and Indians organizations, and posted a .185 average in 54 Major League at-bats for San Diego last season. Paddack sported a 2.13 ERA in four starts this spring, after a breakout 2018 campaign in which he went 7-3 with a 2.10 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 90 innings.