Kyle Tucker’s difficult 2026 season has become one of the biggest storylines surrounding the Los Angeles Dodgers, particularly because of the enormous difference between his production at home and on the road.

The outfielder, who signed a $240 million contract, is hitting .230/.325/.364 with 11 home runs, 56 RBIs and a .690 OPS in 121 games.

At Dodger Stadium, however, Tucker has slashed just .186/.286/.267 with two home runs and 17 RBIs in 210 at-bats in 61 games, compared with .271/.363/.457 with nine home runs and 38 RBIs in 221 road at-bats in 60 games.

The disparity is especially unusual because hitters generally perform better at home.

According to Dodger Blue, manager Dave Roberts said the Dodgers do not have an explanation. He also noted that Tucker is not alone, with Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernández showing similarly noticeable home-road differences.

“Freddie’s are pretty stark as well, I think Mookie’s are stark. Teo, I think stark,” Roberts said. “There’s a lot of guys that have been pointed out to me, and I don’t know the answer.”

Roberts indicated that Los Angeles is actively searching for ways to help Tucker solve his home struggles. With Freeman and Hernández, the organization is more willing to let the situation correct itself because both have previously performed well at Dodger Stadium.

Tucker remains more difficult to explain. Roberts said Tucker has told him he enjoys playing in Los Angeles, but his production has not reflected that.

“I think with Teo and Freddie, I assume they’ve hit well at home before so it’s maybe an outlier kind of thing and hopefully it sort of corrects itself,” Roberts noted.

“With Kyle, I don’t know the answer. We are digging. He says he likes it here when I talk to him, but obviously the performance hasn’t reflected that. But I don’t know the answer.”

The Dodgers took more drastic action last week by keeping Tucker out of the lineup on Aug. 15 against the Milwaukee Brewers.

He returned for all three games against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.

Tucker went 0-for-5 Monday in an 11-5 victory, extending his career-worst hitless streak to 25 consecutive at-bats.

He finally showed some progress Tuesday, going 1-for-4 with an RBI double in a 7-6 win. Tucker followed with a 2-for-5 performance Wednesday that included two singles and one run scored in a 6-4 victory.

Last night he went 0-for-4 with a walk in a 5-4 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The slump nevertheless remains significant, with Tucker just 3-for-38 during the stretch.

His problems have extended to defense as well. Tucker dropped two fly balls in right field over two of the last five games.

Tucker is not expected to face an extended benching yet. As mentioned before, Roberts gave him a day off on Aug. 15 after noticing more visible frustration than usual during the homestand.

Because Tucker normally displays little emotion, his reactions following difficult at-bats suggested the slump was beginning to affect him mentally.

“I think that just kind of reactions to at-bats, whether it’s the first at-bat of a game, and you’re really showing emotion, that’s a tell, from a guy who doesn’t show a lot of emotion,” Roberts said.

“So those things, as they build up, for me, that tells me that you need to watch a baseball game and kind of take some of that frustration and put it to the side.”

Tucker’s track record explains why the Dodgers remain patient. At his best, he combines disciplined at-bats, power, defensive range and the ability to impact a lineup without becoming overly aggressive.

His challenge is rebuilding confidence without allowing frustration to affect multiple parts of his game.

The recent hits in Colorado offered some progress, but they did not erase the larger problem.

Tucker is beginning to show signs of movement in the right direction. The slump, however, is still very much ongoing.