SAN DIEGO -- Right fielder Kyle Tucker returned to the starting lineup for Friday night's series opener against the Padres after missing the Dodgers' previous two games due to lower back spasms, which originally forced him to exit Monday's game in Minneapolis.
The Dodgers are hopeful that the break not only helped Tucker get over any lingering discomfort in his back, but that it also may have served as a mental reset.
Tucker entered Friday hitting .234 with a .707 OPS. After beginning the season as the Dodgers' No. 2 hitter, he has dropped to cleanup and to sixth in the lineup for much of the past two weeks. Tucker's first season in L.A. after signing a four-year, $240 million deal as the consensus top free agent of this past offseason has not gone as planned.
"I think that there were some things that we were working on, as far as on the mechanics side, before the back went out," manager Dave Roberts said. "They built on that the other day, and so yeah, I think we got the mental reset, and also physically, he's in a good spot."
Tucker has shown flashes of his offensive potential, but the 29-year-old has been unable to build on his stronger stretches at the plate. When Tucker is hitting well, he's very disciplined at the plate, but the Dodgers have seen him stray from his approach on multiple occasions this season, whether that's chasing outside of the zone or swinging at the first pitch at a higher rate than he has previously in his career.
"I think that no hitter wants to chase, but I do think that there gets to be an overanxiousness, wanting to do more, trying to force something that isn't there," Roberts said. "I think that's kind of what most hitters fall into … when they start to expand [the zone]."
Smith in stasis
Last weekend, the Dodgers had been optimistic that they might get starting catcher Will Smith back early during their next homestand, which begins on Thursday against the Padres. That now seems less likely.
Smith, who received an injection in his neck to ease inflammation that has been bothering him since June 6, has not returned to doing baseball activities, Roberts said. The team hasn't ruled out a return by the next homestand but given that Smith should need at least a short rehab assignment before being activated, the timing makes it unlikely. He could still potentially return before the All-Star break.
“I think it’s concerning in the sense that it’s a lot longer than we’d expected," Roberts said. "It’s not concerning because we don’t think it’s a long-term situation.”
Smith's absence means that Dalton Rushing will continue to serve as the Dodgers' starting catcher, with Chuckie Robinson as his backup. There was some visible friction between Rushing and Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday, when the two-way star disagreed with some of his backstop's pitch calling and ABS challenge decisions.
Roberts said Rushing will probably catch Ohtani's next start, which will likely be next Wednesday against the Athletics in West Sacramento. There's a possibility that Ohtani will call his own pitches, as he did at the end of his previous start.
Step forward for Snell
Back in L.A., Blake Snell threw a 15-pitch bullpen session on Friday. It was his first full bullpen session since having surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow on May 19.
Snell had the NanoNeedle Scope procedure on his elbow, similar to Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, who was back in action about a month and a half after undergoing his own surgery this year. While Snell's progression has been fast, he is not expected to return nearly as quickly as Skubal. Snell has a full buildup ahead of him, putting his likely return at some point after the All-Star break.