The Dodgers may have no choice but to bench Kyle Tucker in the MLB Playoffs

When the Los Angeles Dodgers landed the plane on a four-year, $240 million contract for outfielder Kyle Tucker last winter, it was regarded as the move that broke baseball. Now, with three weeks left in the regular season, the signing is perceived in an entirely different light. It seems the Dodgers have broken Kyle Tucker.

The primary feeling around Tucker in L.A. these days is frustration — not only with his poor play, but with moments like this. Tucker's confidence is shattered. His body language is abysmal. It's fair to wonder if the Dodgers can even afford to put him on the field in a postseason environment.

Kyle Tucker is not the best right fielder in the Dodgers system right now

In reality, it would be extremely difficult for the Dodgers to bench Kyle Tucker. It's a $60 million-per-year investment and he's under contract for at least two years. The odds of him opting out after 2027 in search of a better deal have diminished considerably, too, for obvious reasons. Benching Tucker could have unintended side effects. There are locker room dynamics to consider, not to mention the plain bad optics of benching your prized offseason addition. If Tucker's confidence is destroyed even further going into next season, the Dodgers could come to regret benching Tucker for years to come. The goal is for him to eventually live up to this contract — or to at least become a positive player again.

That said, the Dodgers are widely viewed as the favorites to win a third-straight World Series title. The focus, above all else, needs to be on winning in October. It's not unreasonable to suggest that benching Tucker would improve L.A.'s immediate competitive outlook.

Tucker has had all season to find that higher gear and restore faith in his star-power, but it simply has not happened. He's 4-for-28 over his last 10 games with a .628 OPS. That brings his season-long OPS down to .677 with a 91 wRC+, which means he is a below-average hitter. Moreover, Tucker has cratered defensively in right field, with -9 OAA (outs above average). That puts him in MLB's third percentile, among the worst defenders in baseball. Tucker has spent the majority of his career as a plus or passable defender, so his unexpected decline stretches far beyond his struggles at the plate.

With a 0.1 fWAR (wins above replacement), only three Dodgers on the current MLB roster grade out as less impactful: utilityman Kiké Hernández (-0.1 fWAR), third-string catcher Eliezar Alfonzo (-0.2) and reliever Seth Halvorsen (-0.4). In Hernández's case, he is a well-documented postseason riser. Alfonzo is a 27-year-old rookie who was only recently promoted to the majors. Halvorsen will not factor into L.A.'s postseason plans, in all likelihood, nor will Alfonzo.

Dodgers aren't short on alternatives to Kyle Tucker

What complicates the Tucker situation further is L.A.'s depth. The Dodgers' farm system is the deepest in the majors, while their major league roster is well-stocked with competent bats, too. If Los Angeles wants to take the cold, hard, mathematical approach to fielding the best postseason lineup, it's not hard to upgrade Tucker's at-bats.

Take, for example, Alex Call, who has a .691 OPS and 100 wRC+ on the year. The 31-year-old is a dramatically better defender. The Dodgers should at least consider a platoon setup, as Call has hammered left-handed pitching to the tune of an .868 OPS this season. Tucker has inverse splits, better against lefties (.713 OPS) than righties (.662 OPS), but Call is an easy situational improvement.

There's also a nonzero chance L.A. would benefit from simply putting the aforementioned Kiké Hernández in Tucker's spot come October. Hernández has not done much at the plate in limited regular season exposure, with a .613 OPS, but he has made a career of timely hits in the postseason.

If the Dodgers want to really swing for the proverbial fences, their farm system is loaded with elite outfield prospects. Los Angeles has five outfielders ranked in FanSided's Top 100 prospects: Josue De Paula (No. 6), Eduardo Quintero (No. 7), Mike Sirota (No. 24), James Tibbs III (No. 71) and Charles Davalan (No. 84).

Quintero and Davalan are still in High-A and won't be rushed to the majors so soon. But De Paula (.943 OPS) and Sirota (.945 OPS) are both extraordinarily dominant in Double-A and could be the sort of outlier talents who skip Triple-A altogether.

Better yet, Tibbs has spent the entire season in Triple-A, where he mashed 28 home runs with 98 RBI and a .952 OPS. Tibbs would have debuted long ago with just about any other MLB team, but the Dodgers' depth has so far blocked him from a call-up. It would require an incredible amount of confidence to replace a four-time All-Star and World Series champ with Tucker's reputation (and contract) with a completely unseasoned rookie, but Tibbs is special. He generates sky-high exit velocities and knows how to work a count. There's little reason to doubt his ability to eclipse Tucker's current output at the plate, plus he's a solid if unspectacular defender.

All signs point to L.A. riding Tucker until the wheels fall off, hoping he can catch a spark at the right time. If the Dodgers were operating on a purely merit-based system, however, there's no doubt Tucker would end up watching postseason games from the dugout.

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