SAN FRANCISCO
Four weeks into the season, manager Dave Roberts noted that Kyle Tucker, a newcomer for the Dodgers, still seems “not comfortable at all.” To address this, Roberts opted for a significant lineup change, moving Tucker to the second and fourth spots in the batting order, with Freddie Freeman leading off as they prepared for the series finale against the Giants at Oracle Park.
“I think we’re just trying to give Kyle a different look,” Roberts explained, hoping the adjustment will aid the club’s substantial $240 million offseason investment. He added that Tucker is clearly struggling at the plate, and sometimes a fresh perspective is necessary for a player to gain clarity before moving into tougher innings. It’s about changing your outlook and potential outcomes, I suppose.
This shift came on the heels of Tucker going hitless in two consecutive games, which dropped his batting average to .233 and his OPS to .676 for the month.
Roberts mentioned that this new lineup will likely be in place for the “foreseeable future.” He shared that he had a brief discussion with Tucker about the idea, which the player accepted.
Tucker, a four-time All-Star, joined the Dodgers this offseason and inked a major contract as the team’s premier batter. However, he hasn’t quite looked like a long-term solution since the start of the season. His strikeout rate has soared to 23.3%, nearly double the 14.7% he recorded with the Cubs last year. Additionally, he’s been swinging more and misfiring at a higher rate. His first-pitch swing percentage has jumped from 36.3% last year to an alarming 51.5% this year.
Robert’s remarks indicated concerns that Tucker might be overextending himself. Despite Tucker’s attempts to downplay it in earlier discussions, the trend has become harder to ignore as his struggles persist. “I definitely expect him to bounce back and do what he’s done for years,” Roberts remarked. However, he observed, “there’s a lot of indecision… He’s been behind good pitching and chasing pitches more than usual. His swing rate in a large sample is higher than we’re accustomed to seeing.”
Tucker isn’t the only player in the Dodgers lineup faced with challenges lately. Star leadoff hitter Shohei Ohtani has dipped to a .212 batting average with no home runs over his last nine games. Players Andy Pages and Teoscar Hernandez also cooled off after strong starts. Outside of Freeman, third baseman Max Muncy has been the only regular starter performing consistently, recording multiple hits in five of the last seven games with a season average of .299.
“It’s just one of those things in baseball where hitting is very cyclical,” Roberts reflected. “Right now, we haven’t been seeing the results we anticipated.”
