The Los Angeles Dodgers stole the offseason by their signings of top free agent Kyle Tucker and All-Star reliever Edwin Diaz.
But both additions have been extremely disappointing with the latest Kyle Tucker stat highlighting just how terrible the outfielder’s season has really gone.
According to Codify Baseball, Tucker is the only MLB hitter to have an 85-game home span with a batting average below .182, an on-base percentage below .288 and a slugging percentage below .266 (in at least 338 plate appearances) since the pitcher’s mound was lowered in 1969.
Tucker is the Dodgers’ $240 million man, but he’s been one of the least productive players in the lineup this season. His struggles have been glaringly apparent at Dodger Stadium.
Tucker entered the Dodgers’ current homestand on a seven-game hitting streak, but has gone hitless in 16 at-bats in LA.
Kyle Tucker Out of Dodgers Lineup Saturday vs. Brewers
The Dodgers’ lineup for Saturday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers doesn’t include Tucker, whose .705 OPS is the lowest of his career since his rookie season and has accrued a bWAR of 0.3 this year — that is not a typo.
The 29-year-old wasn’t in the lineup Saturday because of his home-road splits. Manager Dave Roberts said he noticed Tucker looking upset after some early-game at-bats at Dodger Stadium.
“Those things, as they build up, for me, that tells me that you need to watch a baseball game and take some of that frustration and put it to the side,” Roberts said.
The plan is for Tucker to be back in the lineup Sunday and for the entire three-game series in Colorado.
The club knows the talent is there, but Tucker’s struggles particularly at home have been baffling.
“When it’s clicking,” Roberts said in June, “he’s one of the better players in the game.”
For the season, the 29-year-old right fielder is hitting just .234 with 11 home runs, 54 RBIs, and 66 runs scored.
