Kyle Tucker Out of Dodgers Lineup vs. Braves as Struggles Continue
Kyle Tucker will begin Thursday night’s series finale against the Atlanta Braves on the Dodgers’ bench.
The struggling right fielder is not in Los Angeles’ starting lineup against Braves ace Chris Sale, with Alex Call starting in right field and batting seventh instead. Max Muncy is also sitting against the left-handed Sale, while the Dodgers have made several changes to their batting order as they try to avoid a three-game sweep at Truist Park.
Tucker’s absence is notable given both the importance of Thursday’s game and his continued offensive struggles, but there is currently no indication that he is dealing with a new injury.
Current reporting characterizes the move as a matchup or rest decision against Sale rather than a disciplinary benching.
Tucker’s Struggles Make the Decision Stand Out
Ordinarily, giving a left-handed hitter a night off against one of baseball’s best left-handed pitchers would not generate much attention.
Tucker’s season makes this different.
Through Wednesday, the four-time All-Star is batting .228 with a .322 on-base percentage and .358 slugging percentage over 125 games. He has 11 home runs, 57 RBIs and a .680 OPS. Those figures are well below the level the Dodgers expected after signing Tucker to a four-year, $240 million contract during the offseason.
His first two games in Atlanta have not provided much relief.
Tucker went 1-for-4 in Tuesday’s 4-3 loss and followed with an 0-for-5 performance Wednesday, leaving him 1-for-9 in the series entering Thursday.
The Dodgers are also coming off consecutive one-run losses to the Braves, making every lineup decision more noticeable as Los Angeles tries to salvage the finale.
This Is Different From Tucker’s Previous Bench Day
Tucker has already spent time out of the starting lineup this month because of his offensive struggles.
On Aug. 15 against Milwaukee, Roberts made clear that Tucker’s absence was about more than simply matching up against an opposing pitcher. The Dodgers manager wanted Tucker to use the day as a work day and reset mentally after becoming visibly frustrated by his performance at Dodger Stadium.
Thursday’s situation appears different.
Sale is one of the toughest pitchers in the National League and enters the finale with a 2.20 ERA and 166 strikeouts in 135 innings. The Dodgers are also sitting fellow left-handed hitter Muncy and loading more right-handed bats into the lineup.
That makes the matchup a significant part of the decision.
Still, it is impossible to completely separate Tucker’s night off from the larger conversation surrounding his season.
Dodgers Shake Up the Lineup
The Dodgers will use a noticeably different batting order as they try to avoid being swept.
Shohei Ohtani remains in the leadoff spot, but Tommy Edman moves up to second. Mookie Betts hits third, followed by Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández.
The full lineup:
Shohei Ohtani — DH
Tommy Edman — CF
Mookie Betts — SS
Freddie Freeman — 1B
Teoscar Hernández — LF
Miguel Rojas — 2B
Alex Call — RF
Kiké Hernández — 3B
Ben Rortvedt — C
Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start for Los Angeles against Sale.
The Dodgers badly need the reshuffled group to produce after Atlanta won each of the first two games of the series by one run.
Dodgers Still Need Tucker to Find His Swing
One game on the bench does not change the larger reality for Los Angeles.
The Dodgers need Tucker.
He was one of the premier hitters in baseball before signing with Los Angeles, earning four consecutive All-Star selections from 2022 through 2025. The Dodgers committed $240 million to him because they expected another dangerous left-handed bat capable of becoming a major part of an already loaded lineup.
Instead, consistency has been difficult to find throughout his first season in Los Angeles.
There have been encouraging moments. Tucker delivered the decisive two-run single against Pittsburgh on Aug. 22, snapping a lengthy hitless stretch at Dodger Stadium and helping the Dodgers secure a 4-3 victory.
But one timely hit has not been enough to erase months of uneven production.
Tucker himself recently acknowledged his struggles and said he wants to finish the regular season strongly heading into the postseason.
Thursday gives him another chance to reset before the Dodgers head to Detroit.
Whether Tucker enters later as a pinch-hitter remains possible. Being absent from the starting lineup does not mean he is unavailable for the game.
For now, though, one of the Dodgers’ biggest offseason additions will watch the beginning of a crucial series finale from the bench.
The move may be driven largely by the matchup with Chris Sale, but with October approaching, the bigger question remains unchanged: Can Kyle Tucker rediscover the hitter the Dodgers expected before the postseason begins?