Dodgers' Dave Roberts Thinks Kyle Tucker is Trying to Do 'Too Much'

Much like the Los Angeles Dodgers have done in each of the past few offseasons, the team made some splashy signings ahead of the 2026 season.

The biggest signing of the offseason came in the form of LA landing star outfielder Kyle Tucker to a four-year, $240 million deal.

Tucker was brought in to help fill the void in the outfield for the Dodgers, while also helping the offense not struggle so much during the playoffs. For the second consecutive year, Los Angeles was able to win the World Series, despite the team not hitting up to par.

As a team, Los Angeles only hit .203 for the seven-game series in the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays. So, Tucker was signed to help avoid this from happening again.

But so far, Tucker has struggled to open his tenure with the Dodgers. While the team isn't overly concerned yet since it's so early in the new season, this is something that the team is working on fixing.

There could be some pressure that Tucker feels to live up to the massive contract that he signed, which may be playing into his issues. Even Dodgers manager Dave Roberts admitted to this idea, but also said that Tucker is simply doing "too much" at the plate.

“I think there’s a little bit to that,” Roberts said of Tucker pressing to try to impress his new team. “Typically when guys chase, they’re trying to do a little bit too much.”

So far this season, Tucker has hit .246 with one home run and nine runs batted in. But his last few games have been a struggle, with the veteran going 5-for-25 with seven strikeouts.

Despite the issues at the plate for Tucker, the Dodgers have continued to find ways to win games. This has been a testament to the overall talent on the roster, but Los Angeles will need the star to break out of this funk at some point this year.

Tucker just needs to refocus himself and play within the Dodgers system, understanding that he doesn't have to do everything. Los Angeles has others in the lineup to help protect his bat, and this is also something that the slugger has to get adjusted to.

“He’s getting out of his zone, I see. And he’s not a guy that typically chases down below, but he’s chasing a lot more down below for me," Roberts said.

Tucker is far too talented to have this skid continue for much longer, and the Dodgers will keep working with him as the year goes on.

“I talked to Robert [Van Scoyoc, hitting coach] and he said there’s some things that he’s seeing a little bit,” Roberts said. "I think we’ve seen it enough, as far as the last week or whatever, there’s been a lot more chase down below, is what I see. I see him as a high-ball hitter, and so I guess a little bit just kind of getting him back into his hitting zone, and then cleaning up a couple of the mechanical things that Robert sees. And they’ve had conversations.”