A native of Fresno, California, he was an outfielder who threw and batted right-handed, stood 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and weighed 185 pounds (84 kg).

Tatum appeared in 102 Major League Baseball games, primarily as a center fielder, over parts of three seasons for the California Angels (1968–1970).

Tatum was selected by the Angels in the 16th round of the 1965 Major League Baseball Draft after graduating from Fresno's Edison High School.

On October 11, 1970, the Angels packaged him with second baseman Doug Griffin and pitcher Ken Tatum (no relation) to the Boston Red Sox for slugging outfielder Tony Conigliaro, pitcher Ray Jarvis and catcher Gerry Moses.

Jarvis Tatum never reported to the Red Sox; after getting his release from Boston in April 1971, he played for Yakult in the Japanese Central League for one year.