Kyle Tucker walks four times against A’s

This one went so well for the Dodgers that Miguel Rojas closed out the game. Tucker’s homer off Randy Vásquez was his seventh of the year. He’s looked far more like a $6 million-per-year player than a $60 million-per-year player this season, but there’s still hope.

Ouch. That the Dodgers thought it was worth hitting Miguel Rojas for Tucker in the ninth tonight might be the most discouraging moment for the $60 million man in a thoroughly discouraging season to date. Tucker struck out and hit 95- and 90-mph flyouts in his three at-bats tonight after missing the last two games with back spasms. He and Rojas both have .700 OPSs to date, but Rojas intends to retire at season’s end and Tucker will make $55 million next year with $120 million in player options for 2028 and ’29.

Tucker missed two games due to back spasms. He’s batting sixth against Walker Buehler and the Padres tonight.

No surprise here after Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters earlier this week that Tucker was likely to miss the rest of their series against Minnesota due to lower back spasms. It’ll be local product Alex Call getting another turn in right field on Wednesday evening at Target Field. The 29-year-old fantasy standout could use the extra rest to get back on track physically and work on making adjustments with his swing. He’s hit just .196 (21-for-107) with just two homers and three steals over his last 30 games. It doesn’t sound like Tucker will require a trip to the injured list and he could be ready to return for Friday’s series opener against the division-rival Padres.

Tucker receives some extra time off to rest and recover after making an early exit from Monday’s series opener in Minnesota with lower back spasms. He told reporters that he’s pretty confident he’ll avoid a trip to the injured list, which is mildly encouraging at least. The 29-year-old fantasy stalwart has scuffling at the dish recently, hitting .196 (21-for-107) with just two homers and three steals over his last 30 games. It’s possible a brief reset could help him regain his timing and get back on track at the plate. It’ll be Alex Call taking over in right field on Tuesday night in his place.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts downplayed concern while speaking to reporters following Tucker’s early exit from Monday’s series opener with lower back spasms. The 29-year-old corner outfielder could wind up requiring some additional time off, but it doesn’t appear that he’s in jeopardy of heading to the injured list at this time. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status for the rest of the series in Minnesota.

Tucker walked and advanced to second base on Tommy Edman’s single before being lifted for a pinch-runner in the second inning. It doesn’t appear to be a significant concern, but the Dodgers obviously weren’t going to take any chances with his health. The 29-year-old has been scuffling at the plate in recent weeks, hitting .212 (14-for-66) with two homers and two steals since the start of June. There should be an update on his status following the contest.

Tucker hadn’t hit lower than sixth previously this season. He’s on a six-game hitting streak and is actually hitting lefties a little better than righties this year, coming in at .235/.349/.426 in 83 plate appearances, but the Dodgers wanted Tommy Edman hitting in front of him tonight.

Tucker’s sixth homer was hit 384 feet off Nick Martinez in the second inning. Although he still hasn’t gotten hot at any point this season, he has managed to drive in 12 runs in the Dodgers’ last 11 games. The nice things about playing for a powerhouse is that Tucker is tied for 30th in the league in runs scored and 41st in RBI without doing much of anything to deserve it. It’s still likely that he’ll flip the switch at some point.

Tucker strolled to the dish with the bases loaded and two outs in the third inning and dumped a single into left field to plate two runs, extending the Dodgers’ early lead to 3-0. He then swiped second base before being left stranded there. That was his lone hit in five at-bats on the day while striking out three times. On the season, the 29-year-old outfielder is hitting a disappointing .237/.332/.382 with just five homers, 34 RBI and five stolen bases over 280 plate appearances.