Is Kyle Tucker a $240M mistake? Dave Roberts addresses Dodgers star's alarming slump
Kyle Tucker was supposed to be the missing piece for the Dodgers. Instead, his struggles have raised major concerns in Los Angeles.
The massive investment the Los Angeles Dodgers made in Kyle Tucker has not been fully reflected in his performance, as he has fallen far short of expectations.
Tucker, who signed a contract that made him the player with the highest true average annual value in MLB history , has not lived up to the enormous expectations surrounding his arrival in Los Angeles. His 0.1 WAR is the worst mark of his career since his rookie season, while his defensive struggles have become a growing concern as his bat continues to remain cold.
Dave Roberts backs Kyle Tucker amid Dodgers struggles
During an appearance on MLB Network Radio , manager Dave Roberts defended his right fielder and made it clear that he believes Tucker can overcome this difficult stretch.
“I think that it's one of those things I think for me is my message to him is you're not alone. But when you can you catch a ball at your shoe tops and drop it, that's where you're kind of that's a tell where you're not in a good spot mentally. You know, people miss fly balls all the time. It happens. Shouldn't happen, but it does,” Roberts said.
The Dodgers manager explained that he has also noticed some lack of confidence in Tucker’s at-bats.
“But when you're catching it that low, it's just kind of you're really unsure, right. The at-bats of kind of the indecisiveness, and I think for me is just wanting him to just kind of go out there and expect good things to happen. Go play free and easy.
“You're not gonna, you know, have a 900 this year, but you know each day just go out there and help us win the game. And I think that when you start just playing just to win and take the individual performance out of it hopefully that kind of alleviates some kind of angst and some frustrations. But yeah, I mean he's probably never struggled like this in his life.”
The Dodgers expected Tucker to be the definitive solution to their search for a consistent right fielder. After rotating players such as Jason Heyward , Kevin Kiermaier , and Michael Conforto at the position, the organization made a major investment in the former Chicago Cubs outfielder to fill that void.
However, so far, Tucker has the lowest WAR among Los Angeles’ regular starters, while his backup Alex Call has performed at a better level in fewer opportunities.
Despite the difficult adjustment, Roberts and the Dodgers continue to support the 2 9-year-old player , believing he can return to the level that made him one of MLB’s biggest stars .
