SAN DIEGO -- Fernando Tatis Jr. is back in center field, albeit not entirely by design.

Moments before first pitch of the Padres' 5-0 victory over the Cubs on Monday night at Petco Park, the Padres star moved from right field to center after starting center fielder Trent Grisham was a lineup scratch with back spasms. Brandon Dixon slotted into Tatis’ vacated spot in right.

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For Tatis, it was his first start anywhere other than right field this year, though he made seven appearances in center during the 2021 season. Initially, the Padres gave Tatis playing time in right field exclusively, in an effort to ease his return after he missed the 2022 season due to injuries and a PED suspension. He has handled the position masterfully.

Recently, however, Tatis began taking fly balls in center field during pregame drills. When the Padres optioned José Azocar to Triple-A El Paso last week, that lined up Tatis to serve as the team’s backup center fielder, if the need arose. Sure enough, that need arose in short order.

There are plenty around baseball who feel that Tatis would make an outstanding center fielder, given his skill set. Defensively, of course, they already have one of those. Grisham is a two-time Gold Glove Award winner, and he and Tatis have formed a solid pairing covering Petco Park’s spacious right-center-field gap.

Grisham, however, has a slash line of just .193/.318/.354 this season. With the Padres’ offense struggling, perhaps there’s a case to be made for Tatis in center on a more regular basis.