Things seem to finally be clicking for Kyle Tucker amid a rough first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and it couldn’t come at a better time for the club.
Tucker is hitting .318/.360/.864 over his last seven games with three home runs, seven runs scored, seven RBI and just three strikeouts across his 22 at-bats. On Friday, he led the Dodgers to their eighth consecutive win and finished a double shy of the cycle while also slugging a grand slam.
“He’s certainly been a spark,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on SportsNet LA. “I think the last week we’ve seen Teo really come to life and really carry us, and the last couple nights it’s been fun to watch Kyle build some confidence.
“You see the swings, getting some very good results. He had a big night tonight, and you can just see him freed up a little bit. He’s been working hard this whole year and he’s been in it. I give him a lot of credit for continuing to persevere and expect the best of him at the end of the season.”
Tucker entered Friday night hitting .225/.323/.361 this season with just 13 home runs and a 93 wRC+ after signing a historic four-year, $240 million contract in the offseason.
His struggles have led to constant frustration, but the Dodgers continued to back him due to the work the 29-year-old was putting in behind the scenes.
Tucker was focused on fixing his swing, and first started showing some signs of things turning around on Sept. 4 when he crushed a home run on a 99 mph fastball at the top of the zone.
Since then, Tucker has continued to have success, and Roberts believes it’s a result of figuring out his swing mechanics.
“I’m not a person that’s talking about mechanics too often, but I do think in this particular situation, he’s cleaned up his bat path and he’s staying in the hitting zone a lot longer,” Roberts said. “Whereas before, breaking balls, he wasn’t staying on. Fastballs, he was underneath.
“But I think right now, he’s in a great spot mechanically and with the confidence he has in his swing.”
Tucker has now homered in consecutive games for the first time since July 24-25, and of his nine games with three or more hits this year, two of them have come in September.
“It’s happened quickly,” Roberts said. “I know that the hitting coaches kind of unlocked something with Kyle, and it’s just good to see it translated that quickly. Because most the time things like that take a while; 15, 20 at-bats.
“But it kind of happened overnight with the results, so really happy to see that.”
How Dave Roberts supported Kyle Tucker
Season-long struggles can take a toll on any player, and that is likely increased when the expectations are placed on you to perform at a superstar level.
That’s why Roberts kept a focus on Tucker’s mental state amid the extended slump.
“That’s what I’m locking in on,” Roberts said before the game on Aug. 21. “Players go through it, it’s a long season, a tough season. Every situation is different.
“For me, it’s about getting to the core of what’s going through his head and trying to, like I said a few days ago, he’s not on an island.
“I’m here to support him and anything we can do to unlock him, we’re going to do. So I really feel that we turned a corner. I really do. I can’t speak to what he’s going to do tonight at the plate, but I feel mentally and emotionally, he’s freed up. Don’t know what that looks like, but I’m encouraged.”
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