Dodgers' Dave Roberts Reveals ‘Red Flag’ With Kyle Tucker

Kyle Tucker's tenure with the Dodgers hasn't gone to plan yet.

May 17, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Kyle Tucker (23) is greeted by teammates after scoring during the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | William Liang-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers made a massive investment in outfielder Kyle Tucker over the offseason, signing the outfielder to a four-year, $240 million contract.

The Dodgers had few holes in the roster entering this past offseason, but one was in the outfield.

The front office didn't want to take any chances for 2026, and Tucker was the big fish in free agency. Thus, the Dodgers spared no expenses in bringing in the four-time All-Star.

So far, Tucker has been inconsistent at the plate, with his performance not reflecting the type of contract he was given. Tucker has also shown a lack of patience this season, which is a stark contrast to the way he played before coming to Los Angeles.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has spoken about Tucker's struggles multiple times. Over the weekend, he highlighted a "red flag" in his struggles.

“I do think that the swing rate is higher than it has been in his career, whether it’s the first pitch, just in total,” Roberts said. "I think that speaks to not being selective enough, because he is a guy that by nature can run deep counts and still be fine getting to two strikes, but it just seems like he’s much more hyper aggressive than I recall.”

He added: “That’s kind of a red flag."

For the year, Tucker has hit .242 with four home runs and 27 runs batted in, while posting an OPS of .729. While these numbers aren't horrible, they're far from the type of impact that the Dodgers believed they would be getting from him.

Tucker's regressed performance could be due to a multitude of reasons, including the pressure to live up to the major contract that he signed. However, as he enters his third month in the organization, the results need to start coming sooner rather than later.

Luckily for the Dodgers, they have other stars in the lineup to help mask the struggles of Tucker. Los Angeles typically doesn't have buyer's remorse, but if Tucker can't turn things around, this signing could look like a bad one in short order.

The Dodgers have been trying to work with Tucker on settling down at the plate, but to this point, it hasn't happened. But veteran is far too talented a player to keep his numbers this low, so the hope is that he'll eventually break out for LA.

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