Michael Busch Defends Former Cubs Teammate Kyle Tucker

He’s aware of the criticism, but he’s not letting it get to him.

“I just try and, you know, black out noise, anything like that,” Tucker explained. “But I'm fired up… I mean, I've been playing in the playoffs for a while now, so there's nothing that really beats that and the excitement that comes with that. So I'm excited to continue that here.”

Busch defends Tucker dedication

Now, his former teammates are joining the conversation. Michael Busch spoke about Tucker’s dedication in a Wednesday appearance on Foul Territory.

“Tucker was a great teammate, and he was always out there, always working hard, always playing hard, always giving… A tremendous player, but like, a great teammate, he worked hard,” Busch said.

The infielder was asked about the differences between Tucker and a player like Alex Bregman, who the Cubs locked down a week prior to losing Tucker.  

“It's hard to say… Obviously, they're two different people, as we all are, like, we all have our own little routines, or our ways to go about our day,” Busch said. 

He noted similarities in their styles of play, especially when considering that both Bregman and Tucker spent their developmental years primarily with the Astros.

“They play super hard, but they definitely have their different, you know, ways in doing things in the cage,” Busch explained. “But I don't think for any player that that's, you know, right or wrong. I think everybody kind of grows up and figures out what works the best for them, the ability to perform and the ability to stay on the field. And I think Bregman and Tucker do it at a super high level.”

Dodgers front office confidence

It’s not just Tucker’s teammates defending him. Dodgers’ president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman also shared his thoughts on Tucker with Foul Territory TV on Friday, five days before Busch.

“With Tuck, you know, obviously there was some stuff that was written and questions about, you know, how much he likes the game, etc., that as we dug into it, we found to be pretty unfair."

Tucker made two plate appearances versus San Diego in his Dodgers debut, recording a 108.6 mph groundout to second base and a four-pitch walk that helped spur a four-run rally for Los Angeles.