A star player in a slump is every team’s worst nightmare when the MLB postseason is right around the corner. For the Dodgers, that nightmare is named Kyle Tucker, and his struggles are reaching a boiling point with October looming. You gotta wonder if there’s even time for him to get right, or if this is just who he is right now.
Tucker’s Woes: A $60 Million Headache
Rowan Kanver from FOX Sports MLB is straight up about it: Tucker is the number one thing L.A. needs to fix. Forget Edwin Díaz, Kanver says, because the Dodgers have shown they can roll with losing a high-leverage reliever. Remember Tanner Scott last season? $72 million over four years, struggled, then nowhere to be found in the postseason. That might work for a bullpen arm where starting pitchers can slot in, but there’s no hiding what Tucker’s doing right now. His struggles are showing up everywhere, man, both offensively and defensively. The dude’s got the lowest OPS at home of any qualified MLB player, which is just brutal. And to make it worse, he’s dropped catchable fly balls in each of their last two series! It got so bad last Saturday that Dave Roberts had to give him a “mental day off.” Last year, Michael Conforto struggled on his one-year, $17 million deal and got the whole year to figure it out before they kept him off the postseason roster. But Tucker’s making $60 million a year. You can’t just bench a guy like that. They’ve gotta find a way to get his confidence back, even if it’s just to be a decent supporting piece. He’s been an All-Star caliber player for four years, but he just can’t be *this* if they want to make a deep run.
Betts Carrying the Load While PCA Shines
But Deesha Thosar has a different take, and honestly, she might be onto something big. While fixing Tucker’s season-long slide is crucial, Thosar thinks Mookie Betts getting absolutely locked in at the plate is *the* biggest deal for the stretch run. Think about it: Betts is that guy, the steady force, the one who can carry the whole offense. The Dodgers literally seem to ride his hot streaks. And guess what? He’s been doing just that. Over the past two weeks, Betts is batting a scorching .315 with an .888 OPS, three bombs, and eight RBI. When he’s cooking, the team is finding its rhythm, going 8-6 in that stretch. That’s the kind of production you need from your leader. Then there’s Pete Crow-Armstrong, who’s just been tearing it up. Is this guy just an MVP candidate, World Series-carrying machine? Kanver says, yeah, pretty much both! This version of PCA is pure gold, providing value everywhere you look. This isn’t just a flash in the pan either; it’s a serious run of elite production. What a talent!
So, the Dodgers have some serious questions to answer as they gear up for October. Can they get Tucker back to being an additive piece instead of a liability? Can Mookie Betts keep carrying the load and ignite this lineup? The next few weeks are gonna show us exactly what this team is made of heading into the postseason.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
Leave a Reply