Kyle Tucker's swing has a very specific problem for Dodgers

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Kyle Tucker's swing has been letting him down this season.

So much so that the Los Angeles Dodgers' outfielder has spent a lot of time taking postgame batting practice, according to ESPN's Alden Gonzalez, who adds that Tucker had never done that before in his major league career.

Tucker is searching for something, anything, to unlock what he's doing.

The Dodgers signed him for four years and $240 million. That comes with expectation.

And while Tucker has downplayed the added hype that comes with his contract, the reason is almost less important than the reality -- that Tucker hasn't hit well enough for the Dodgers so far this season.

Part of the problem is something that's very specific to Tucker's swing.

"It all comes down to Tucker's swing," Gonzalez writes. "It's longer and flatter than that of most hitters, a benefit in that it stays in the strike zone a lot longer, allowing him to consistently barrel pitches and maximize exit velocities. But because of that, it is also especially important for him to stay balanced with his lower half. When he starts to drift forward while swinging, as he did so often at the start of this season, his bat leaves the strike zone quickly and, as a longtime talent evaluator said, 'his timing is screwed.'"

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Tucker struggled in the second half last season while also dealing with a hairline fracture in his right hand. While the injury doesn't have to be connected to the swing problems, it can't have helped the cause.

That has left Tucker spending most of this season trying to unlock a swing that had been so reliable for him during his MLB career.

Clearly, a player doesn't get signed for the money Tucker got if he's not expected to be one of the most consistent and best hitters in the game. Tucker has that capability.

But right now, his swing is falling well short of expectations.

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