The Dodgers' $240 Million Man Is Hitting .234, And Now He's Day-To-Day With Back Spasms
Yo, M's fans, check this out. While we're celebrating another Mariners W tonight, some other teams are dealing with major headaches. Case in point: Dodgers outfielder Kyle Tucker got yanked from their game against the Twins with low back spasms in the second inning. This dude signed a monster $240 million deal, and his bat's been ice cold all season. Now, his back is giving out? You gotta be kidding me.
Tucker Pulled After Barely Jogging
It all went down in the top of the second. Tucker drew a walk, then kinda lightly jogged to second on Tommy Edman's single. That was it. Pinch-runner Alex Call came in to replace him. Tucker hung out in the dugout for a bit, standing by the dugout fence, but eventually dipped into the clubhouse after the inning was over. He told reporters, "I really felt it when I went out for defense in between innings in the first." He tried to tough it out, hoping it would "kind of calm down, or go away or something and I could just keep playing through it." But nope, he said it was "still sticking around, still kind of there" even on the bases. Manager Dave Roberts is calling him day-to-day, and Tucker himself said he's gotta "just got to kind of see how it goes tomorrow." Not exactly a ringing endorsement for a quick return, is it?
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A Rough Season Gets Rougher For LA's Outfield
Look, the back issue is bad enough, but this is just compounding what's already been a really tough year for Tucker. The guy signed that huge four-year, $240 million contract in January, right? And he's played in 75 of their 79 games, so he's been out there. But his slash line? A measly .234 average with only six dingers and four RBIs. That's his lowest average since his rookie year in 2018 when he hit .141 in 28 games for Houston! This is a guy who's smashed at least 22 homers for five straight seasons before this one. His bat hasn't exactly been living up to the paycheck, and now he's sidelined.
Oh, and it's not just Tucker either. The Dodgers also had to pull catcher Dalton Rushing in the third inning for concussion testing. He passed, but he's gotta retake the test 24 hours later, meaning he's probably out too. They replaced him with Chuckie Robinson, and Roberts said the team will likely add another player. Why? Because their number one catcher, Will Smith, is already on the 10-day IL with neck inflammation. Yikes! That's a triple dose of bad news for their lineup and depth.
Seattle's Vibe Check
So, while our Mariners are out there grinding and snagged a sweet 3-1 victory against the Red Sox tonight, the Dodgers are dealing with a whole lot of questions. How long is Tucker out? Can he even get his bat going when he's back? And how are they going to manage with all these catcher issues? Seems like things are getting a little bumpy down in LA. We'll be watching for sure, but for now, let's keep riding this Mariners wave, Seattle!
This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.