Dodgers fans’ halfhearted ovation for Kyle Tucker finally forced him to show signs of life

Kyle Tucker’s first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers has been nightmarish, especially whenever he steps on the diamond in his home ballpark.

The Dodgers' $240 million man, and a four-time All-Star, has stumbled through the worst year of his career. Tucker's performances inside Dodger Stadium have been stained with anemic offensive production and defensive miscues all over the place.

Subsequently, Tucker's been booed by Dodgers fans at times, but last Friday night, a large segment of those fans took another approach. Prompted by manager Dave Roberts, no doubt taking a page out of the Philadelphia Phillies-Trea Turner playbook, Dodgers fans gave Tucker a standing ovation as he stepped to the plate.

Dodgers fans' ovation leads to Kyle Tucker RBI single a day later

Was the entire stadium unified in its embracing of Tucker? Not quite. Plenty of fans stayed seated and didn't participate in the support, which made the ordeal markedly different from Philadelphia's movement to get behind Turner in 2023.

Tucker grounded out in his first at-bat and went 0-for-4 on the night. The very next game, however, he delivered a go-ahead, two-run single in the fifth inning. The base knock snapped an 0-for-26 stretch at Dodger Stadium for the outfielder.

Roberts hasn't shied away from speaking with the media about Tucker's ongoing struggles, asserting that it's more mental than anything else. The Dodgers staff has seemingly tried everything to help Tucker break out of this horrid stretch. Hitting coaches have been fine-tuning his swing; Tucker was given a mini break at one point to reset, though none of it has turned him back into the player he's been in years prior.

It was nice to see Tucker come through in a big moment last Saturday, but the reality remains that he's been a huge disappointment in his first season with the Dodgers. More importantly, Los Angeles' three-peat chances are significantly worse if Tucker continues to offer zero production through October. Tucker showed signs of life over the weekend, but the Dodgers need far more than that from him, especially at $60 million per year.

Dodgers fans saw Tanner Scott struggle mightily in his first season in LA and then have a much better second year with the club. Perhaps there's something to be said about adjusting to the "Dodger Way" and getting used to the added pressure that comes with playing for the best team in the sport.

Surely, that pressure is even heavier when you've been given the richest contract (by AAV) in history. But whatever may be going on inside Tucker's head will soon become untenable for a franchise looking to make history.

Roberts has been accommodating and supportive of Tucker, but it's still August. As we get closer to October, expect Roberts to replace Tucker in the lineup during important moments if the poor play continues.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow