Kyle Tucker Defended by Dodgers' Dave Roberts Despite Struggles After Massive Contract

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts hasn't given any serious thought to benching Kyle Tucker amid a brutal season from the veteran slugger.

"I liked Kyle's energy yesterday," Roberts said of his inclusion. "I think the easy thing for me to do is to not play him. But for me, what I can do, a way of showing support, is by playing him. ... I think he gives us the best chance to win."

Tucker is in the lineup and batting seventh for Wednesday night's game against Colorado Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland.

The four-time All-Star is an obvious example of how the Dodgers spending a lot of money, for all the consternation it has caused, doesn't guarantee success on its own.

Tucker has a .230/.326/.367 slash line, and his 94 OPS+ is far and away on pace to his worst over a full season, per Baseball Reference. He had gone hitless for five straight games before doubling in Tuesday's 7-6 win over Colorado.

As little as he has provided at the plate, he might be even worse defensively. The past week has been highlighted by a pair of drops on catchable fly balls.

Things are bad enough that some are ready to see top prospect Josue De Paula promoted up from Double-A.

Roberts and the Dodgers are in a bind because Tucker has unquestionably been bad, but he's also under contract for three more seasons at a significant cost.

Maybe the 29-year-old would benefit from a break and getting out of the limelight a bit. But it would be impossible to avoid the optics of sidelining a player who averages $60 million annually.

The best hope for L.A. right now is that Tucker finally gets something to click at the plate and rediscovers his confidence. That's not going to happen if he's sitting in the dugout.