Dodgers' Dave Roberts Done Making Excuses for Kyle Tucker

The Los Angeles Dodgers shocked the league when the team signed top free agent of the winter Kyle Tucker to a four-year, $240 million deal.

One of the Dodgers' biggest offseason needs was an outfielder, and why not sign a player who is coming off his fourth consecutive All-Star appearance?

It seemed like a match made in heaven as the back-to-back World Series champions continued to improve with the addition of Tucker in the lineup.

A few months into the season, though, the Dodgers outfielder is yet to find his stride at the plate.

Entering Wednesday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tucker is hitting .235 with four home runs, 27 runs batted in and an OPS of .715.

Manager Dave Roberts initially assessed the early season struggles as Tucker "doing too much" at the plate, perhaps trying to impress his new team. But as the halfway mark of the season quickly approaches, the Dodgers skipper isn't making excuses for the outfielder anymore.

Roberts was recently asked whether Tucker is still having trouble adjusting to being on a new team.

His response was telling.

"I don't think that's the case," Roberts said to reporters. "I think there is some of that for all players, the transition adjustment, but to be quite honest, when you're in the box, you're in the box. These are stadiums that he's played in so it's more of trying to feel comfortable with his mechanics, but still you gotta compete and go with whatever swing you got that day to help us win a baseball game.

"That's kind of what you have to do."

There have been some flashes of the All-Star throughout the season, including over the weekend against the Philadelphia Phillies where he had a two-hit performance Sunday after going 1-for-16 in the Dodgers' most recent homestand.

But the Dodgers are still looking for consistency from Tucker.

Some issues include his swing-and-miss rate as well as how hard he is hitting the ball, or lack thereof. According to Baseball Savant, Tucker ranks in the 50th percentile in both average exit velocity and hard-hit percentage.

The Dodgers are paying Tucker $60 million a year te be among the elite players in the game. Right now, he's barely above average offensively, and well below average defensively.

Roberts has moved him up and down the lineup and Tucker has worked hard to find a remedy, but the back-to-back champions are in pursuit of a third consecutive title and Tucker will need to show up for the Dodgers sooner rather than later.

He hasn't quite earned the confidence from fans as consistency at the plate has been lacking, but LA has won 15 of their last 19 while Tucker navigates his struggles.

One thing is clear: Tucker has yet to find his new identity with the Dodgers, and sooner or later, the Dodgers may start feeling some buyer's remorse if he doesn't turn things around.

Add us as a preferred source on Google