The Los Angeles Dodgers have jumped out to an MLB-best 12-4 record to begin the 2026 season despite Kyle Tucker uncharacteristically struggling at the plate.
Through 16 games, the four-time All-Star is batting just .237/.352/.305 with one double, one home run and nine RBI. The usually steady-hitting Tucker is striking out at a much higher rate (23.9%), making less contact (75%) and swinging at the first pitch more often (58.2%).
While some believe Tucker is simply pressing at the plate, the 29-year-old thinks his struggles have more to do with swing mechanics and being overly aggressive, via Jack Harris of the California Post:
“I mean, if I did what I wanted to do from the first swing, putting it in play, I don’t think I’d be swinging as much,” he said. “When you’re swinging at strikes and putting a barrel on the ball and staying through the ball well, better outcomes happen. But I kind of cut my swing off a little bit, don’t really stay through it great, and then you start fouling pitches off and chasing some later in some counts. That’s where a lot of the extra swings come from.”
Tucker downplayed the notion that he is feeling more pressure with the Dodgers, who are trying to become baseball’s first three-peat World Series champion since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees. He of course joined the Dodgers on a record-setting four-year, $240 million contract.
That type of deal naturally could lead to self-inflicted pressure stemming from wanting to meet expectations, particularly on a new team.
Even with his offensive woes thus far, Tucker is still reaching base at nearly the same rate as his career average (.358). Neither he nor the Dodgers seem to be worried about the early-season slump as 71 plate appearances is a relatively small sample size, and Tucker’s track record suggests he will eventually get back to career norms.
Kyle Tucker ‘trying to do a little too much’
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is among those who believes Tucker’s struggles are related to wanting to make an impact that in turn are causing uncharacteristic habits.
“I talked to Robert (Van Scoyoc) and he said there’s some things that he’s seeing a little bit,” Roberts said this week. “He’s getting out of his zone, I see. And he’s not a guy that typically chases down below, but he’s chasing a lot more down below for me.
“This is not a really a good example as far as the guy we faced today, but I think we’ve seen it enough, as far as the last week or whatever, there’s been a lot more chase down below, is what I see.
“I see him as a high-ball hitter, and so I guess a little bit just kind of getting him back into his hitting zone, and then cleaning up a couple of the mechanical things that Robert sees. They’ve had conversations.”
Roberts added, “I think there’s a little bit to that. That’s kind of what I see. Typically, when guys chase, they’re trying to do a little bit too much.”
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