Much has been made about Kyle Tucker’s early struggles this season, but the four-time All-Star had his first signature moment with the Los Angeles Dodgers in their 2-1 win over the New York Mets on Tuesday night.
After Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked to put runners on first and second base in the bottom of the eighth inning, Tucker delivered a go-ahead RBI single off left-hander Brooks Raley to give the Dodgers a decided lead.
“It was nice,” Tucker said of providing the game-winning hit. “I haven’t had as many hits or barrels as I would have liked, but still grinded out the at-bats, still take my walks and stuff, and come up with a huge hit right there to get the run in and win the game, so I’ll take it.”
Tucker reiterated he hasn’t been frustrated about his slow start and is focused on fixing his swing mechanics.
“Not really,” Tucker said. “I mean, I feel like I kind of get myself out at times with certain swings. I feel like I should drive more up the middle or gap to gap, that I end up topping or just fouling off.
“At times that is kind of just part of the game. But it’s so early in the season, we’ve still got five and a half months to the end of the year. So we got plenty of time to figure it out, hopefully sooner rather than later, though.”
Tucker’s chase rate has skyrocketed this season, but the 29-year-old is more concerned about his ability to put better swings on the ball.
“I mean, I feel like my zone is relatively good overall,” Tucker noted. “At times I might chase or just get into some tough counts where they make a good pitch and I chase. But I mean, overall, it’s been fine. I just need to barrel up the ball a little bit more.”
When asked what he could do to get back on track, Tucker emphasized a need to become more selective at the plate.
“It kind of just depends,” Tucker began. “I mean, sometimes it’s guys just making really good pitches, and it kind of is what it is. Sometimes you just find yourself chasing more.
“You’ve got to try to just narrow your zone a little bit and look in certain spots of the zone, rather than just swinging at whatever’s thrown. So I just try and do my best with that, just try and hone in on that, and kind of pick my spots and in locations where I want, and just trying to be early with it.
“And I need to try and do a little bit better job with that.”
Kyle Tucker’s 2026 stats
Through 17 games, Tucker is batting just .242/.360/.306 with one double, one home run and 10 RBI. He most notably is striking out at a higher rate, making less contact and swinging at the first pitch more often compared to career norms.
However, he has still managed to reach base at a high clip due to already drawing 12 walks, which ranks second on the Dodgers behind only Ohtani (14).
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