Kyle Tucker Picks No. 23 With Dodgers to Honor Astros Mentor Michael Brantley

Kyle Tucker was greeted by the Los Angeles Dodgers media during his jersey ceremony and decided to change his number from 30 to 23 to honor Astros' Brantley.

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Kyle Tucker is officially a Los Angeles Dodger. Love it or hate it, this is now a living reality for Houston Astros fans and the rest of the league. The bidding war to acquire the four-time All-Star came down to the Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays. Tucker ended up taking more money per year, $60 million worth, plus a $64 million signing bonus.

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While bittersweet for Astros fans, especially given their heated rivalry with the Dodgers going as far back as nine years and how much Tucker contributed to Houston, they can still reminisce his putout in right field foul territory that secured a second Astros World Series ring in 2022.

Tucker Pays Respect To Former Teammate and Mentor

Yes, him signing with a rival team feels like a gut punch of betrayal. Nevertheless, following his introductory press conference with the Dodgers, fans can also hold onto one final detail: the 29-year-old will be changing his jersey number from 30 to 23.

Why might this be significant? Since Tucker's MLB debut, he has been teammates with retired Astros corner outfielder Michael Brantley, who wore No. 23.

Brantley spent his final five years in baseball with the Astros, signing with them in the 2018 offseason, the same year Tucker made his MLB debut.

Brantley's Impact

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At just 21 years old, it’s natural to lean on established veterans for guidance on how to improve at the major-league level. Uncle Mike has long been respected for his leadership and elite approach at the plate, highlighted by a .295 career batting average over 10 seasons with the Cleveland Guardians.

His 2014 campaign stood out as an MVP-caliber season, as he slashed .327/.385/.506 while posting 20 home runs, 45 doubles, 23 stolen bases, and a career-high 200 hits.

Before Brantley joined the Astros, Houston was looking to add more veterans to compliment their young stars in Jose Altuve, George Springer, and Carlos Correa, following the retirement of Carlos Beltran in 2017 and Brian McCann leaving in 2018.

Plus, Tucker's rookie stats were underwhelming, hitting .141 with a .438 OPS in 28 games. The Astros knew that their 2015 first round pick had potential, he just needed to figure out how to translate it well at the highest level. They needed someone like Brantley.

After Brantley became an Astro, Tucker improved drastically, hitting .269 with an .858 OPS in 28 games the following year. He even earned a spot on the 2019 postseason roster.

In 2021, Tucker finally broke out in his first full season. in 140 games, King Tuck sported a .294 AVG with 30 homers and a .917 OPS with a 147 OPS+. He earned his first All-Star nod in 2022, the year the Astros won the World Series.

While Brantley was unable to contribute on the field in 2022 due to shoulder surgery, he made his presence felt in the clubhouse, especially during the World Series.

In the article written by Chandler Rome and Zack Meisel consisting of Brantley's retirement, it cites how Tucker credits Brantley's mentorship as the catalyst of becoming a better player and teammate.

That explains the jersey change to 23 heading into the 2026 season, a classy way of honoring the veteran who helped shape his career.

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