Dodgers Veteran Calls For Kyle Tucker Roster Move As Concerns Mount

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 26: Kyle Tucker #23 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks connected earlier the crippled against the San Diego Padres astatine Petco Park connected June 26, 2026 successful San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)

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The Los Angeles Dodgers entered 2026 pinch different championship-caliber roster and 1 of baseball’s astir costly caller additions.

Five-tool outfielder Kyle Tucker was expected to make an already vulnerable lineup moreover tougher to transportation to aft signing a four-year, $240 cardinal contract successful the offseason. Instead, Tucker’s first play successful Los Angeles has go 1 of the much unexpected problems connected a squad chasing different World Series.

His struggles person go peculiarly pronounced astatine location lately, wherever concerns are increasing astir the four-time All-Star.

“Tucker went 0-for-19 connected the team’s seven-game homestand,” Jack Harris wrote for the New York Post connected Monday. “He was sat (or, possibly much accurately, benched) connected Saturday successful what head Dave Roberts had hoped would service arsenic a intelligence reset amid his location hitting problems.”

And the problems person extended beyond the batter’s box, arsenic Tucker has struggled to make regular catches connected much than 1 occasion.

Now, a longtime Dodgers seasoned has suggested that the statement return a overmuch much drastic approach.

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Former Dodgers first baseman Eric Karros, now a broadcaster for the club, believes that a one-off benching for the prima free supplier summation won’t beryllium enough.

“I honestly deliberation the champion point correct now is simply a reset,” Karros said during a caller broadcast, arsenic seen successful a clip shared by Foul Territory. “I deliberation you request to spell to Arizona (where the team’s training analyzable is) and commencement moving connected immoderate things, alteration immoderate things… This is conscionable not perfect and it’s not working.”

Karros' proposal is notable because the Dodgers person antecedently utilized akin approaches pinch struggling players. The erstwhile first baseman specifically pointed to a brace of caller examples of players who person benefited from the statement giving them abstraction to activity done difficult stretches.

“And, I don’t care, this statement has done it successful the past and I’ve seen it. Cody Bellinger, you know, Chris Taylor,” Karros added. “You’ve sewage to region each of the, ‘Hey he’s a free supplier signing, hey he’s this, hey he’s that.’ What you person successful beforehand of you is you person a feline who’s struggling.”

Los Angeles Dodgers’ $240 Million Star Kyle Tucker Faces Growing Pressure

Tucker's statement makes the business peculiarly difficult. The Dodgers did not walk $240 cardinal expecting a subordinate who needed to beryllium protected from the awesome convention spotlight. But the team's finance besides shouldn't forestall the statement from making immoderate accommodation it believes could get Tucker backmost connected track.

Yet location is still plentifulness of logic for the Dodgers to judge a turnaround is possible. Tucker’s way grounds is acold excessively beardown to simply disregard aft 1 difficult season. But Karros emphasized that asking Tucker to activity done his struggles successful crippled settings is intelligibly not working, which is why a move disconnected of the progressive roster and a stint astatine the team’s training installation successful Arizona mightiness beryllium worthy considering.

“You’ve sewage a period and a half and you’ve tried things here,” Karros said. “I deliberation you request a reset.”