Kyle Tucker looked like his usual self on Monday; now he looks to build

Kyle Tucker hit his sixth homer of the year on Monday. (Juan Ocampo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

by Cary Osborne

Monday was the Kyle Tucker — the power-hitting, game-changing bat and impact right fielder.

A three-run home run, an outfield assist, a pair of hits.

“When it’s clicking, he’s one of the better players in the game,” manager Dave Roberts said after the Dodgers’ 4–3 win against the Rays.

Tucker was open after the game. It hasn’t been clicking — yet.

The tell-tale sign of things going right is consistency. And there have been a couple of runs this season where it’s felt like he was about to take off.

April 3–18: 14 games, three home runs, 11 RBI, a .296/.400/.481/.881 slash line

May 4–17: 12 games, seven extra-base hits, a .333/.458/.564/1.022 slash line

That’s a third of the season where he batted .312/.425/.516/.941.

But in each case, he couldn’t sustain it. Tucker said his swing just hasn’t felt right all season. His bat path, his timing — things haven’t synced up like they have in the past for the four-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger.

“It’s been maybe an at-bat or two, or like one game it felt fine or something, but not for a long duration of games,” Tucker said. “There’ve been some at-bats where I’m like, ‘Oh, that was good, hopefully it’ll translate for the next at-bat, the next game, and it kind of doesn’t. And then I’m back there at kind of square one, trying to figure it out again. Today was pretty good overall. I just got to come back and do it again tomorrow.”

Tucker isn’t alone in this.

Across most publications, Tucker, Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, Pete Alonso and Eugenio Suárez were viewed as the five top free agents who changed teams this offseason.

These are their numbers in 2026: · Tucker: .239/.337/.388/.725, 105 OPS+ · Bregman:.253/.338/.358/.696, 101 OPS+ · Bichette: .245/.290/.372/.662, 86 OPS+ · Alonso: .253/.335/.473/.808, 126 OPS+ · Suárez: .222/.287/.395/.682, 85 OPS+

Tucker, to his credit, didn’t want to use pressure or acclimation as an excuse.

“I don’t take it like that,” he said. “I just go out and play, regardless, no matter where I’m at or what I’m doing. I just go out there and try and play well, try and have good at-bats, try and play good in the field and everything, and just try to help my team win.”

The Dodgers see the work that he’s putting in. Roberts said he can see Tucker gaining more comfort, and he cares.

Tucker has reached base six times in his last 13 plate appearances over three games. He has driven in five runs. He knows it means less if he doesn’t sustain it. But it’s more than reasonable to expect that he will.

“I feel like betting on him going forward — the way he’s at right now is good sign,” Roberts said.