Kyle Tucker Won't Play for Dodgers in Series Finale vs Nationals

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Kyle Tucker will get his first day off of the 2026 season on Sunday against the Washington Nationals.

Teoscar Hernández is getting the day off on Saturday, and manager Dave Roberts said he'll "give Kyle Tucker a day tomorrow [on Sunday]."

Alex Call, who's starting in left field in place of Hernández on Saturday, will start in right field in place of Tucker on Sunday. Call was drilled by a line drive while stretching on the field ahead of Saturday's game, but didn't suffer an injury.

Tucker joined the Dodgers this offseason on a four-year, $240 million deal in a move that sent the baseball world into a frenzy.

The reigning back-to-back World Series champions adding the best player in free agency didn't exactly go over well with the rest of the baseball world. He had 240 million reasons to choose LA, but also spoke about the "first-class" organization reeling him in.

"Obviously, I think very highly of this organization from the top down — from the ownership group to the front office. I think it's a first-class experience with all of that," Tucker said of the Dodgers at his introductory press conference. "Playing here is exciting. You can see the fan base really embrace the team, embrace the city, and want to encourage the players to go out there and play at a high level.

"There are a lot of great ball clubs out there with great teams, and they all have unique things that make them great. But kind of like I said, I think the organization from the top down is first-class, and the team that these guys put together and assembled to give a great product for the fan base and the city to gout there and compete for a championship kind of speaks for itself. Just kind of taking everything into account and wanting to be a part of that, I think this is very special. You don't really get that very often."

Tucker — and the entire top of the Dodgers lineup — got off to a slow start this season. The left-handed slugger was 4-for-23 (.174) with zero home runs and two runs batted in through the team's first six games.

The Dodgers then went on the road for the first time this season and Tucker — and the rest of the Dodgers lineup — broke out.

Tucker notched his first multi-hit game of the season on Friday, going 3-for-6 and hitting his first home run as a Dodger.

Kyle Tucker's FIRST home run of MANY for the Dodgers🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥pic.twitter.com/kwp4a0TGr8
— Dodgers On SI (@DodgersOnSI) April 3, 2026

Tucker will look to add to that total on Saturday before getting the day off on Sunday. Then, the Dodgers will travel to Toronto for a World Series rematch at the Rogers Centre against the Blue Jays.

While Tucker wasn't a part of last year's World Series, he was being heavily recruited by the Blue Jays this offseason, making him a candidate to hear boos as loud as any player who was on the Dodgers a year ago.