When the Los Angeles Dodgers added All-Star right fielder Kyle Tucker to their already All-Star-laden roster, questions swirled concerning the fate of resident slugging right fielder Teoscar Hernández.
The Dodgers officially introduced Tucker at a news conference Wednesday, and manager Dave Roberts confirmed that Hernández isn’t going anywhere. He’ll just shift to left field, while Tucker will play right.
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Per Roberts, Hernández is “excited” to play in left field.
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Roberts also said Tucker will likely bat in the top third of the order. But he wasn’t ready to commit to a precise batting spot for the former Silver Slugger, who is a lifetime .273/.358/.507 hitter and has averaged 26.8 home runs the past five seasons.
Kyle Tucker will play right field and bat in the top third of the order after joining the Dodgers on a $240 million contract.
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
He expects that Tucker will hit “second or third” behind leadoff hitter Shohei Ohtani but added to reporters, “Don’t hold me to that.” In addition to four-time MVP Ohtani, the Dodgers have former MVPs Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts to work with near the top of the lineup.
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Baseball isn’t celebrating Tucker to Dodgers
The Dodgers’ years-long spending spree to acquire a roster of All-Stars and MVPs has been the subject of consternation around baseball, as it has so far produced two consecutive World Series championships in Los Angeles. Per a report from Tuesday, competing owners are “raging” in the aftermath of the Tucker acquisition and contemplating a salary cap.
Tucker was the top-rated free agent on the market this offseason. The Dodgers also added the top closer on the market, Edwin Díaz, to address the biggest weakness on their World Series-winning roster from last season.
Tucker signed a four-year, $240 million contract to join the Dodgers from the Chicago Cubs. He was asked Wednesday what he thinks about the state of baseball through the prism of the Dodgers’ spate of high-priced acquisitions.
“I think baseball’s in a good spot,” Tucker responded.
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