Bizarre Fernando Tatis Jr. Dodger Stadium plaque story is fan conspiracy catnip

Although the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres won't face off again until August, the drama that has spilled over from last week's series has the potential to linger for quite some time. A new off-field controversy has taken centerstage and has far-too-coincidental timing.

On Wednesday, a user posted something of note on the Padres Reddit page, revealing Fernando Tatis Jr.'s home run plaque at Dodger Stadium had been removed. Located in left field, the plaque, which was put up in 2022, commemorated Tatis' mammoth 467-foot home run he hit out of Dodger Stadium in 2021. The plaques next to Tatis' featuring Mark McGwire's and Mike Piazza's historic homers, remained in place.

That led to questions, especially as the Dodgers-Padres' tension reached insane heights. Tatis Jr. was hit by a pitch three times across two series within the past two weeks. It led to him calling out Dodgers fans for their behavior after he was plunked in the back.

That was accompanied by Tatis Jr.'s plaque reportedly being damaged, something the team later confirmed when reached out for comment as to why it was no longer there. The Dodgers said a new one would take its place by the team's next homestand, which begins July 1 against the Chicago White Sox.

But ... what really happened here? Did a deranged fan actually go far enough to deface the plaque during the series against San Diego? How long has it been taken down? The Dodgers claim they don't know anything about the damage, in terms of the timing or how it happened.

Bizarre Fernando Tatis Jr. Dodger Stadium plaque story is fan conspiracy catnip

Given the few details and limited commentary from the Dodgers, the most pessimistic Padres fans are thinking the organization took it down because they may have been sick of paying any sort of tribute to a rival. That doesn't seem likely, though, since such a blatant act of pettiness from an historic franchise would be irresponsible from a PR perspective. The more likely outcome is that the typically-rowdy crowd at Dodger Stadium decided to act in rebellion.

Last year, Tatis joked that Dodgers fans had no choice but to see his name every time they go to the ballpark, whether they like it or not. Tatis has been an agitator in this rivalry for years now, so it wouldn't be surprising at all if a rogue, drunken fan decided to take matters into their own hands.

Still, the fact this was unearthed by a random Reddit user, which prompted reporters to ask more questions and get the organization to respond, will leave this open for interpretation as fans spew their wildest conspiracies.