Dave Roberts makes crazy Dodgers comparison for Kyle Tucker's struggles

Kyle Tucker's debut season with the Los Angeles Dodgers has been anything but advertised. The 29-year-old right fielder has roughly been a league-average bat this year (105 wRC+. .725 OPS) while playing middling defense in the outfield. He's managed to hit just six home runs and steal the same number of bases through his first 74 games, which is hardly the standard he's set for himself.

Appearing on on “Dodger Talk with David Vassegh,” manager Dave Roberts discussed the nature of Tucker's struggles, pointing a finger at the pressure of living up to all of the star power in the locker room.

“It’s certainly a big room. There’s a lot of star power in our room and regardless of who you are, to come into this can be daunting," Roberts said. "It’s a very open and friendly clubhouse, but I certainly think as peers, you try to play the comparison game, which is pretty tough."

However, it was his comparison to former Dodger Michael Conforto that stood out as the most bizarre part of his segment. Conforto infamously didn't jive with the organization, producing the worst offensive season of his career during his lone campaign in Los Angeles. Using him as the example for Tucker isn't exactly a promising vote of confidence from Roberts.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts hasn't done Kyle Tucker any favors

Roberts mentioned that it took a while for him to "learn" Conforto as a player and as a human being; a similar struggle he pointed to with Tucker. While it's fair to patiently build a relationship, it also shouldn't take months to address the elephant in the room.

This past offseason, Tucker signed the largest contract (by AAV) in MLB history. There are pressures that come with such a distinction, but the expectation is that players worthy of such financial compensation can ignore the noise. He hasn't done that yet, and it's on the manager to help guide his player through it, even if it requires a more hands-on approach than Roberts is accustomed to.

For what it's worth, Conforto got better as he settled in last year — his second-half OPS jumped by 45 points compared to the first half. However, his batting average finished below the Mendoza line and he was left off all of the Dodgers' postseason roster.

And, to rub a little extra salt in the wound: Conforto effectively switched places with Tucker this past offseason, joining the Chicago Cubs on a minor-league deal. Despite the $58 million gap in their 2026 salaries, Conforto has been the better hitter by both wRC+ (118) and OPS (.762).

There's still a long way to go on Tucker's deal, but he'll need to find himself in better company if he wants to avoid the worst-contract-in-baseball conversation.

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