The Los Angeles Dodgers have been one of the more inconsistent groups across baseball over the last two months, with multiple key guys going through slumps.

But none of the team's issues have been more apparent than those with slugger Kyle Tucker, who has put together a poor first season with the franchise.

Tucker was signed to his massive four-year, $240 million deal over the offseason in the hope that he would provide more consistent production. However, the opposite has happened, with Tucker enduring the worst season of his big-league career.

Across 133 games this season, Tucker is hitting just .226 with 12 home runs and 59 RBIs, while posting an OPS of .686.

Due to his struggles, there has been talk about the Dodgers potentially benching him, especially with the playoffs coming up soon. But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has pushed back on this idea, at least for now.

“I hope not,” Roberts said when asked if he'd have to bench Tucker in the postseason. “I do think that the best version of our ball club – versus right, versus left – is with Tuck in the lineup."

Tucker will remain in the lineup as he tries to figure out how to break out of this long slump. But the team won't be able to give him as much leeway come playoff time if he continues to underperform.

Should the Dodgers Bench Kyle Tucker?

The Dodgers have tried to hold Tucker up every step of the way, with teammates and coaches giving him support. Even the fans have shown him support, giving him a standing ovation in the most recent homestand.

“It’s nice. They come out and support us every single day,” Tucker said at the time. “They’ve been doing their part in supporting us and we just try and go out there and win games for them, so I’m just trying to do my part in that whole thing.”

But to this point, nothing has been able to work, at least on a consistent basis. Tucker has been able to put together a strong game or two before falling back into the same issues.

Tucker was given a day off last week against the Atlanta Braves with left-hander Chris Sale on the mound. But Roberts did say that barring any major changes, if this matchup occurred in the postseason, Tucker would be playing.

“I just think that right now, given where he’s at, where he’s been at certainly for a minute, just to give him a day. A week ago, I let him try to fight his way through it," Roberts said. "But today I didn’t want to feel like I’m piling on against a really tough starter. Get him ready for the weekend. Chris Sale in the postseason, I would expect him to be in the lineup.”

For now, Tucker will keep working behind the scenes to break out of this slump. There is a reason why the Dodgers gave him the major contract, but he's looked like a completely different player since joining Los Angeles.

If Tucker can figure out the magic formula over the final month, it could give him some momentum heading into the playoffs. Tucker is a talented player, and if he can perform better when the lights are brightest, all the narratives from the year won't be gone, but they will be much easier to digest.

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