Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has addressed the struggles of outfielder Kyle Tucker with characteristic candor, offering both support and a clear-eyed assessment of where the veteran stands mentally during a difficult first season in Los Angeles.
Tucker arrived last winter on a four-year, $240 million contract after productive years with the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs, expectations that have not yet been met.
Through 120 games, he is hitting .232 with 11 home runs, 55 RBIs, 68 runs scored and seven stolen bases, numbers well below his established standard.
The frustration has spilled into the stands. During a recent homestand against the Milwaukee Brewers, Tucker was booed at Dodger Stadium and endured an 0-for-19 stretch.
A dropped fly ball in right field, one he reached at shoe-top level, became a visible symbol of his slump. The Dodgers have continued to win at a high clip despite the inconsistency, yet the contrast between the investment and the on-field results has been hard to ignore.
In an interview with MLB Network Radio, Roberts made his position known.
“My message to him is you’re not alone,” he said, emphasizing that the organization is not leaving Tucker to work through this by himself. He then zeroed in on the defensive play. “But when you catch a ball at your shoe tops and drop it, that’s a tell where you’re not in a good spot mentally.”
Roberts acknowledged that outfielders miss balls from time to time. “People miss live balls all the time. It happens, shouldn’t happen, but it does,” Roberts said. “But when you’re catching it that low, it’s just kind of you’re really unsure, right?”
The same uncertainty has shown up at the plate. Roberts described Tucker’s at-bats as marked by indecisiveness. His hope is that Tucker can reset his approach. “I think for me it’s just wanting him to go out there and expect good things to happen, go play free and easy,” he said.
One recent at-bat gave the manager encouragement. With a runner on second, Tucker simply tried to move him over and was rewarded with a double that excited his teammates.
“And I think that when you start just playing just to win and take the individual performance out of it,” Roberts said, “hopefully that kind of alleviates some kind of angst and some frustrations.” He closed with a frank observation: “but yeah, I mean, he’s probably never struggled like this in his life.”
As the Dodgers open a weekend series with the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium, Roberts has shown no inclination to bench Tucker.
The manager’s message is consistent: stay in the lineup, stay connected to the team, and let the results follow from a looser, more selfless mindset. Whether that approach can unlock the player the Dodgers signed remains the story of Tucker’s season.
