Tucker’s Lineup Move Pays Off as Dodgers Face Roster Crunch
Saturday, April 25, 2026 · 4 min
Dave Roberts’ move of Kyle Tucker into the cleanup spot got an immediate payoff, backed by another dominant Dodgers start. But the offense still has more to prove, and Santiago Espinal may be squeezed out by the infield depth chart.
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Dave Roberts’ move of Kyle Tucker into the cleanup spot got an immediate payoff, backed by another dominant Dodgers start. But the offense still has more to prove, and Santiago Espinal may be squeezed out by the infield depth chart.
In this episode
- Dodgers' Dave Roberts committing to Kyle Tucker lineup change — Dan Fappiano
# Dodgers news: Dave Roberts committing to Kyle Tucker lineup change Published: 2026-04-24T19:14:52+00:00 Author: Dan Fappiano ## Summary The Los Angeles Dodgers manager, Dave Roberts, has made a significant change to the team's lineup, moving Kyle Tucker from second to fourth. The move is seen as a strategy for Roberts to improve Tucker's performance, particularly in light of his struggles…
“Absolute ACE performances from our starters this series. It would’ve been a sweep if our hitters didn’t forget how to hit. But we avoided getting swept. That’s a win. The Cubs are red hot right now. Need our offense to get hot too.” — r/Dodgers (158 upvotes)
Our take: We’re with this: the rotation carried the series, and one 3-0 win doesn’t magically fix an offense that has been leaving too much work for the starters. Avoiding the sweep matters, but against a hot Cubs team, the bats can’t keep treating three runs like a luxury item.
“What an absolute bomb by Kyle Tucker. He's been struggling. If he turns the corner, the Dodgers are going to be nasty.” — r/baseball (25 upvotes)
Our take: That’s exactly the tantalizing part of the Tucker move — if this is the swing that gets him rolling, the Dodgers’ lineup suddenly looks a lot less forgiving for opposing pitchers. One homer isn’t a full turnaround, but it’s the kind of loud contact you want after a lineup reset.
“This was the second pitch of the game... And it's 2-0” — r/baseball (107 upvotes)
Our take: There’s nothing quite like a second-pitch gut punch to make a manager look smart. Roberts moves Tucker, Tucker immediately makes it 2-0, and everyone gets to pretend baseball is that simple for about five beautiful minutes.
- Dodgers Likely to DFA Spring Training Star Santiago Espinal — Cameron Kiszla
Dodgers Likely to DFA Spring Training Star Santiago Espinal # Dodgers Likely to DFA Spring Training Star - Shop - Cameron Kiszla - April 24, 2026 - 3:14 pm - No Comments - Cameron Kiszla - April 24, 2026 The Los Angeles Dodgers have an embarrassment of riches in the infield, and a player who broke out in spring training is likely to be designated for assignment as a result. Santiago Espinal,…