Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed that right fielder Kyle Tucker is out of the lineup on Saturday, August 15th vs. the Brewers due to his struggles at Dodger Stadium.
2026 has not been the year fans or Kyle Tucker expected after he inked his four-year, $240 million deal, but things have been much worse at home than on the road.
At home, Tucker is hitting .192 with two home runs and 17 RBIs. Away from Dodger Stadium, Tucker is hitting .275 with nine home runs and 37 RBIs.
The OPS difference is even more stark — he has a .840 OPS on the road and a .566 OPS at home.
His struggles are perfectly encapsulated in this current homestand, from the first game of the Royals series, where he came in as a pinch hitter, to Friday’s win against the Brewers; Tucker is 0-for-16 with three walks.
Why Dave Roberts benched Kyle Tucker
More than just the production, manager Dave Roberts noticed that Tucker has been noticeably frustrated at the plate, a rarity for a level-headed player like Tucker.
“I think more for Kyle, I [think] being at home right now, I see the frustration, and I felt that for him to kind of use today as a work day and then he’ll be back in there tomorrow,” Roberts said to the media, including Dodgers Nation’s Noel Sanchez.
“He’ll play all three in Denver, and it gives me a chance to get Alex in there, and I like Alex in the sense that I think he can spoil some pitches and kind of work at-bats versus Miz.”
Regarding the cause of the difference in the home/road splits, Roberts did not have a theory, though he did say Tucker is aware of his home issues at the plate.
He seems quite confident that taking in a full game at Dodger Stadium might help in the long run.
“I think that just reactions to at-bats and you’re really showing emotion, that’s a tell from a guy who doesn’t show a lot of emotion,” Roberts added.
“So those things as they build up, for me, that tells me that you need to watch a baseball game and kind of take some of that frustration and put it to the side.”
If Tucker is able to hit at home as he does on the road, he would have numbers more in line with what the perennial All-Star tends to produce.