Starting the season in left field for the Braves, Preston Tucker occupied a spot where many Braves fans expected to see Ronald Acuna on opening day.
Tucker came out of the gate with a blast. In the first seven games of the season, Tucker hit .435 (10-for-23), with two home runs and nine RBIs, including two three-RBI games.
In the five games since, Tucker is 0-for-12, with five strikeouts. He struck out only four times in his first 23 at-bats.
Of course, Acuna is performing quite badly for Triple-A Gwinnett. In the Stripers’ first five games, Acuna is 2-for-19 (.105) with a double and eight strikeouts. He walked twice, leaving him with a .190 OBP.
The question we’re all waiting for the Braves to answer is whether they’ll promote Acuna before he breaks out of his slump, and it’s usually wise to let a player play through his first slump in the minors rather than the majors.
While Tucker’s batting average has fallen to .286, left field remains his job, for now.
To learn five things you may not know about Tucker, check out the video above.
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