Welcome back to the Dodgers Beat newsletter! Up and down the lineup, the Dodgers have, by and large, turned the corner on their offensive malaise that lingered into mid-May. But in the early days of June, Kyle Tucker is still searching. Tucker is hitting .243 with a .739 OPS through 59 games. He had three hits in his last 28 at-bats entering Wednesday, when he showed encouraging signs with a three-hit game, including a no-doubt two-run homer that was his hardest-hit ball of the season at 107.6 mph off the bat. Overall, though, Tucker's performance has fallen short of the expectations that came with his four-year, $240 million contract. He has had some hot stretches mixed in, like when he hit .297 with a .910 OPS in the three weeks after he was dropped from the No. 2 spot in the lineup, but he has been unable to sustain his success. Here's a look at what is going on with Tucker at the plate. All the stats are entering Wednesday, unless otherwise noted. |
He's been chasing more frequently Earlier in the season, this seemed like one of Tucker's biggest issues. He's improved in this regard lately, but his 24.1% chase rate remains high by his standards. In each of the previous two seasons, he chased pitches around 17.5% of the time. “I mean, chasing overall has been fine. It’s just some of the pitches, I either miss or foul it off and get in a worse count," Tucker said. "Which I’m not used to, especially over an extended period of time. It happens every now and then. But just seems a little bit longer this year.” Broadly speaking, plate discipline has been at the center of Tucker's inconsistency. That has been puzzling to the Dodgers, as his steady approach is one of the reasons he was the consensus top free agent of the previous offseason. His swing decisions have led to less favorable counts While Tucker isn't chasing quite as much as he was early on, he's still swinging more frequently than is normal for him. His swing rate is up to 49.4% (45.2% in 2025), and he's offering at the first pitch 46.4% of the time (36.3% in '25). |
"I think that's a part of it," manager Dave Roberts said. "I think that that speaks to not being selective enough, because he is a guy that by nature can run deep counts and still be fine getting to two strikes, but it just seems like he's much more hyper-aggressive than I recall." By swinging at the first pitch so often, Tucker is falling behind early. That doesn't allow him to work counts the way he's become accustomed to over the course of his career. He's been making less quality contact While swing decisions have played a big role in Tucker's performance, he also hasn't been hitting the ball as well as he has in previous years. His batting average is not that far off from his .246 xBA, which factors in quality of contact. Tucker's average exit velocity is 89 mph, down a tick from 90.1 mph in 2025. He's halved his barrel rate from 10.8% last year to 5.3% this year. He's hit into some loud outs here and there, but two months into a frustrating season, Tucker can only find so much solace in that. “I mean, obviously, this game is basically results-based for us, on a more personal level and everything," Tucker said. "If you’re hitting the ball well and you’re not getting hits, it’s fine. You did all you can. But you’d like to see more results out of it.” |
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MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
It's that time already: Phase 1 of All-Star voting is open. Here's a breakdown of the Dodgers on the ballot: - Catcher: Will Smith
- First base: Freddie Freeman
- Second base: Hyeseong Kim
- Third base: Max Muncy
- Shortstop: Mookie Betts
- Outfield: Teoscar Hernández, Andy Pages and Kyle Tucker
- Designated hitter: Shohei Ohtani
Click here to cast your vote in Phase 1, which is open until June 25 at 9 a.m. PT. Fans can vote up to five times per 24-hour period. The overall leading vote-getters in each league will automatically receive a spot in their team's starting lineup. The top two finalists at every other position (and the top six outfielders) will advance to Phase 2. |
Here are a few notable things to know about the Dodgers’ next opponent, the Angels (24-39): Probable pitching matchups: Neither team has announced probable starters. If the Dodgers remain on turn, here's who is likely to take the mound this weekend: RHP Roki Sasaki on Friday, RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Saturday and RHP Emmet Sheehan on Sunday. Angels' injuries of note: Shortstop Zach Neto, who missed three games due to whiplash, could return to the starting lineup on Friday. First baseman Nolan Schanuel, who is on the 10-day IL with left ankle inflammation, could be activated this weekend, as well. Recent history: The Dodgers pulled off a resounding three-game sweep in Anaheim last month, outscoring the Angels 31-3.
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The Dodgers will host their 13th annual LGBTQ+ Pride Night when they return home on Friday. As part of the festivities, L.A. will install a permanent display in Centerfield Plaza honoring former Dodgers Billy Bean and Glenn Burke, who were trailblazers as some of the first professional athletes to identify as gay. The iconic Maybelle Blair will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. For more information on Pride Night, click here. |
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