The Dodgers thought they had won the offseason with the massive contract they dished out to Kyle Tucker. The four-time All-Star saw plenty of success with both Houston and Chicago, but, just like Tanner Scott last year, year 1 as a Dodger has not been kind for the outfielder.
Tucker ended the first half with some of the worst numbers he’s put up in his career, as he limped into the All-Star break slashing just .244/.341/.375 with seven home runs and 47 RBI, with his walk rate and strikeout rate both
below his career averages. He’s managed to turn things around recently, as he has four hits and two home runs his last four games, but fans were left wondering what went wrong with their prized free agent pickup.
Mike Petriello of MLB.com explains the struggles that Tucker experienced in the first half, and highlighted his weekend in Queens as a potential turnaround for his first year in Los Angeles.
If it really is just that worse swing decisions led to missing out on the best-value contact and those swing decisions are improving, then maybe what we saw in Queens over the weekend was the start of a turnaround. And maybe the early struggles will turn out to be no more than that, the umpteenth example of a player taking some time to find comfort in his new home.
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Kiké Hernández was activated off the injured list on Tuesday, and his fellow countryman Edwin Díaz will follow suit on Wednesday. Dave Roberts noted that the right-hander is all set to go for Wednesday’s matchup against his old ballclub in the Seattle Mariners, per Joaquin Ruiz of the Los Angeles Times.
“He’s checked all his boxes,” Roberts said. “So getting him back in the mix is going to be fun for all of us as well.”
The trade deadline is now less than a week away, and as I noted in my trade deadline post, I addressed the need for the Dodgers to acquire a right-handed hitting catcher. It looks like that need isn’t so urgent, as Jack Harris of the California Post reported that Will Smith has resumed baseball activities. The Dodgers are hopeful to have Smith fully healthy for the stretch run leading into the postseason.
On Tuesday, manager Dave Roberts announced that All-Star backstop Will Smith has begun baseball activities again, saying the catcher is finally “pain-free” from a neck injury that has sidelined him since early June.
“I’m excited to hear that he is starting some baseball activities,” Roberts said.
