Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has been impressed with outfielder Kyle Tucker’s defense since his move to LA.
Tucker is a one-time Gold Glove winner, earning the award with the Houston Astros in 2022. Before the season, Roberts said he wanted Tucker to return to that form with the Dodgers in 2026.
“I think the one thing is he’s won a Gold Glove. Trying to get the defense back to where it should be, that’s one part of it,” Roberts said.
The four-time All-Star has done a great job so far, stealing a homer and starting two relays to contribute to Dodgers outs over the weekend, and Roberts commended him on his glove so far.
“He’s made some nice plays, he really has, whether it be cutting the ball off, keeping the guy at first base, getting to the wall, taking a home run away or getting back on a line drive over his head,” Roberts said. “Those plays have been difference-makers.
“He prides himself on his defense, and was disappointed last year in his defense. And so that’s something that – to win a Gold Glove is his goal coming into this year. Up to this point, it’s been very, very good. And yeah, he’s following through with what he said.”
While the sample size is extremely small, Tucker currently ranks in the 100th percentile of fielders in terms of fielding run value with a mark of plus-2.
How Has Kyle Tucker Been With a Bat?
While his defense has been fantastic, the Dodgers’ newest star has struggled to get the bat going through the first four games of the season.
He’s 3-for-15 with two walks, posting a .561 OPS with two RBIs, but has also been on the end of disadvantageous matchups against lefties in two of the Dodgers’ four games this season. Despite his early-season issues, Roberts also has faith the bat will come around for Tucker.
“I am surprised that they got off to a slow start, but you just never really know,” Roberts said of Tucker, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman. “Spring training is just not predictive. It’s just not. I think for me, the takeaway is we’re 3-1 and the guys that we expect to swing the bats aren’t swinging the bats right now. So that’s a good thing. They’ll hit.”
What are your first impressions on Kyle Tucker?
