Dave Roberts said on August 14, 2026 that Kyle Tucker was given a scheduled day off to work through frustration tied to stark home/road splits before the Dodgers play all three games in Denver.
Roberts said Tucker's home-road splits are stark but he could not offer a reason for them. "The fact is, um, the splits are stark home and road. Um, I don't think we have a reason behind it," Roberts said. The manager also described Tucker showing rare visible emotion after early at-bats, calling it "a tell, um, from a guy who doesn't show a lot of emotion." With Tucker out of the lineup, Roberts noted the day off gives him a chance to get Alex into the game, adding that Alex can spoil pitches and work at-bats well. Roberts explained his broader approach to handling players through difficult stretches. "I try to sort of balance the yin-yang, and, um, you know, because I don't feel like I want to add to their kind of frustration, anxiety, worry," he said.
On the injury front, Roberts evaluated Will Smith's recovery, noting he came out of a batting practice session and a bullpen session well. "The arrow is pointing up for Will," Roberts noted. According to Roberts, Smith has been pain-free and ramping up over the past 10 days, though the manager still does not expect him back before September, stating that timeline "is still going to hold."
Roberts also evaluated Shohei Ohtani's bullpen session, saying Ohtani threw 35 pitches through his entire pitch mix, with another bullpen session and live at-bats likely as the next step. Tyler Glasnow's rehab plan calls for one more outing of five innings and 75 pitches before he joins the team for the Atlanta/Detroit road trip, Roberts said.
Roberts confirmed the extra rest day for Robleski will take effect starting with his next scheduled outing, while Tucker is expected to return to the lineup for the Denver series after his scheduled break.