Kyle Tucker’s rough first season with the Dodgers has reached the point where one of the franchise’s familiar voices thinks a hard reset is overdue.
During Monday’s SportsNet LA broadcast of the Dodgers’ game against the Colorado Rockies, Eric Karros said the team should consider sending Tucker away from the daily grind to sort things out.
"I honestly think the best thing right now is a reset," Karros said. "You’ve got a month and a half and you’ve tried things here.
Like I said, I think you need a reset. I think you need to go to Arizona, start working on some things, change some things."
Tucker’s latest line only deepened the concern. He went 0-for-5 on Monday and is now hitless in his last 25 at-bats.
His problems have not been limited to the plate, either. Over the last two games, he has dropped two fly balls in right field, adding more frustration to a season that has gone sideways.
The struggles have become impossible to miss. Tucker is hitting .230 with a .692 OPS, and Karros said the Dodgers need to strip away the baggage that comes with the contract and the expectations attached to it.
"You’ve got to remove all the, 'Hey he was a free agent signing, hey he’s this, hey he’s that,'" Karros continued. "What you have in front of you is you have a guy who is struggling, who is uber-talented and can be one of the best players in the game. ... But I just feel like this is just spinning wheels.
"It’s arguably making it tougher to come out and be the All-Star player that he is."
The defensive numbers underline how messy it has gotten. Tucker entered Monday ranked in the fifth percentile in MLB with negative-7 Outs Above Average, and he also has negative-9 Defensive Runs Saved.
Karros said the issues are showing up everywhere.
"It’s not just at the plate, it’s out in the field, it’s everywhere," Karros said. "This is just not - it’s just not ideal and it’s not working."
A minor league demotion would require Tucker’s consent, so another option would be for the Dodgers to place him on the 10-day injured list as a way to create that reset. Karros also acknowledged Tucker may simply want to stay in the majors and work through it there.
“I’d talk to him, I’d have that discussion and see if he’s receptive to it," Karros said.
For now, the Dodgers are left with a player stuck in a deep slump and a contract that still carries three more years and nearly $200 million.
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