Kyle Tucker’s challenging inaugural season with the Los Angeles Dodgers appears to be weighing heavily on him, both physically and emotionally.
A video clip recently shared on X captured a poignant moment: Tucker sat alone in the Dodgers’ dugout during Monday’s 11-5 triumph over the Colorado Rockies. His demeanor was somber as he rubbed his face and eyes with both hands before lowering his gaze to the ground.
This scene unfolded as Tucker grapples with the relentless pressure of his prolonged slump. The 29-year-old’s distress was palpable, underscoring the struggles that have inexplicably marred what was hoped to be a promising season.
Monday night brought further challenges for Tucker to absorb.
He endured another tough outing, going 0-for-5 and stretching his record-breaking hitless streak to a daunting 25 at-bats. His last chance, a groundout against Rockies position player Troy Johnston, who took the mound in the ninth inning, did little to break his unfortunate streak.
Earlier, Tucker committed another ugly defensive mistake, dropping a routine fly ball in right field after appearing to hesitate before attempting the catch. The sequence added another chapter to a stretch that has seen Tucker’s season reach increasingly alarming depths.
“Catching a baseball at your ankles kind of speaks to where his head is at right now,” manager Dave Roberts said afterward.
That assessment felt particularly striking alongside the dugout video.
Tucker has openly acknowledged his mounting frustration. Before Monday’s game, he admitted he had “tried just about everything” to escape his historic struggles, saying every apparent breakthrough seems to be followed by another setback.
“Every time I feel like I’m turning a corner, I get hit with a roadblock,” Tucker said.
Those roadblocks are piling up.
Tucker is batting around .230 with an OPS below .700 after signing a four-year, $240 million contract in January. His disastrous homestand culminated in an 0-for-19 stretch and boos from Dodgers fans after another defensive miscue.
Things have deteriorated enough that former Dodgers slugger Eric Karros suggested on SportsNet LA that Tucker might benefit from a more dramatic “reset,” even floating the possibility of sending him to Arizona temporarily to work away from the major-league club.
Roberts has instead emphasized support.
“It’s not from lack of effort, or care,” Roberts said. “It’s just kind of right now, I think he’s kind of fighting.”
Monday’s dugout scene appeared to capture exactly that.
What was actually going through Tucker’s mind cannot be known from six seconds of video.
What is increasingly difficult to miss is just how heavily the worst season of his career appears to be weighing on him.