Kyle Tucker's early exit adds injury concerns for the Dodgers, who are also monitoring catcher Dalton Rushing for a possible concussion.
The Los Angeles Dodgers lost outfielder Kyle Tucker to back spasms after he walked, ran to second base, and never returned. His exit on Monday deepens what is becoming an injury crisis for the Dodgers at a critical turn in their campaign.
Tucker exited the second inning with light back spasms and was replaced by pinch runner Alex Call. Speaking to reports postgame, Tucker said he felt the initial issue when he headed out for defense following the first inning. After trying to play through the pain, it kept persisting until Tucker went to the dugout before heading back to the clubhouse.
Manager Dave Roberts called the issue “day-to-day.” Tucker signed a four-year, $240 million deal with Los Angeles back in January and is only slashing .234/.333/.374 with six home runs and 40 RBIs, which is his lowest batting average since his rookie season.
The pace of his homers this year is a bit of a concern as well after hitting at least 22 in each of the last five seasons.
To read more about the injury scares abound for LA, here is the full story from Dodgers Roundtable writer Adrian Medina.
In addition to Tucker, the Dodgers also had to pull catcher Dalton Rushing in the third inning in order to rule out a possible concussion. He passed the initial testing, but must retest 24 hours later, which likely leaves him out of Tuesday’s lineup.
Chuckie Robinson replaced him on Monday, and they may look to add another body if Rushing remains unavailable.
It adds to a growing list of injuries at the position as top catcher Will Smith is on the 10-day IL with neck inflammation. That thins LA out at two key positions.
They beat the Minnesota Twins, but now with Tucker, Rushing, and Smith all in doubt, it’s a test for the Dodgers’ depth at a tough time.
