Why The Vitriol For The Dodgers' Kyle Tucker Was So Thick At Wrigley Field

CHICAGO — The boo birds were progressive astatine Wrigley Field this week, arsenic nan Dodgers were swept by nan Cubs in a three-game series.

The vitriol for nan World Series favorites, days aft they traded for nan champion subordinate disposable astatine nan deadline (two-time CY Young victor Tarik Skubal) touched almost each subordinate successful nan Dodgers lineup. But Cubs fans’ boos were by acold nan astir enthusiastic for nan correct fielder who’d departed their squad successful free agency this past winter.

Kyle Tucker, for his part, dodged nan first mobility that mentioned nan dispute reception he received successful his first bid backmost astatine Wrigley Field since signing a four-year, $240 cardinal statement pinch nan Dodgers complete nan offseason.

“I liked playing present past year,” Tucker said aft nan crippled Monday. “There were immoderate really awesome guys complete there, and they person a bully team. So it’s bully being backmost and playing here. I liked it.”

When pressed connected whether he understood nan boos, Tucker said: “I don’t know. I tried my hardest past year. I tried playing done a manus fracture and calf thing, conscionable trying to get backmost to nan playoffs for them and trying to do what I could to thief retired nan squad past twelvemonth pinch them. Hit really good successful nan first half, and 2nd half didn’t spell arsenic great, and benignant of didn’t extremity up awesome astatine nan extremity of nan year. But I had a bully run.”

Let’s unpack that.

This year, Dodgers fans person mostly seen a type of Tucker who’s connected gait for 1 of nan worst violative seasons successful nan four-time All-Star’s career. But erstwhile nan Cubs landed Tucker successful a blockbuster waste and acquisition pinch nan Astros earlier nan 2025 season, hoping he’d elevate their offense, he did conscionable that for nan first 3 months of nan season.

His champion period was June (.982), when, unbeknownst to nan public, he was playing done a mini fracture successful his correct hand.

Not being capable to grip nan bat decently yet took a toll connected his plaything mechanics, sending him into an extended slump. When he yet seemed to beryllium coming retired of it successful precocious August, a near calf wounded sidelined him successful early September.

When nan wounded lingered acold longer than initially expected, hoping to return successful clip to lend successful nan postseason, Tucker made nan unorthodox determination to recreation to Tampa to activity pinch nan beingness therapy group that helped him retrieve from a fractured shin nan twelvemonth before.

Unable to wholly eliminate nan symptoms of his strained calf, Tucker returned to nan Cubs lineup arsenic nan designated hitter nan past play of nan regular play and done nan playoffs, wherever he went 7-for-27 pinch a location tally successful Game 4 of nan NLDS.

Through nan ups and downs of nan season, Tucker still came retired of it pinch a 2025 Silver Slugger award. He had nan second-highest OPS connected nan squad (.841) among players pinch astatine slightest 100 sheet appearances, down erstwhile Dodger Michael Busch (.866).

In consequence to Tucker’s comments Monday, Cubs fans connected societal media said they were upset pinch Tucker for playing done his manus injury, and for leaving nan squad to reside his calf wounded — which seemed to group up a no-win business for his narration pinch nan instrumentality base.

Tucker’s national pinch nan Cubs was ever expected to beryllium short term. That was ever nan lawsuit from nan infinitesimal they acquired him 1 play distant from what was projected to beryllium a lucrative free agency. Nothing had changed by nan past retired of nan team’s 2025 season, arsenic they fell 1 triumph awkward of gathering nan Dodgers in nan National League Championship Series.

With nan Dodgers, Tucker has yet to put together a existent basking streak astatine nan plate. He’s deed acold amended successful distant games (.828 OPS) than astatine location (.601) this year.

On nan roadworthy again, Tucker went 5-for-11 successful 3 games against nan Cubs this week — possibly a motion of bully things to come, successful a play afloat of mendacious starts.

“Just moving each azygous day, conscionable trying to beryllium accordant pinch my activity and what I do successful nan cage and everything and trying to construe it retired onto nan field,” he said Monday. “Felt beautiful bully today. Had bully at-bats nan past mates days and stuff. So conscionable trying to proceed that moving guardant into tomorrow’s crippled and truthful forth.”

His biggest infinitesimal of nan bid came Tuesday. In his first at-bat of nan game, he lifted a solo location tally into nan left-field bleachers and trotted astir nan bases to a chorus of boos.

It was nan Dodgers’ only tally of nan game.