Dodgers News: Chris Taylor Frustrated With Early Season Struggles, Hoping to Turn it Around

He's really had a rough go early in 2023.

Chris Taylor could not have had a worse start to the 2023 season. Okay, that may be a bit harsh. Taylor does have two home runs, and is playing stellar defense at shortstop, third base and in left field. However, he has been abysmal at the plate, and has one of the worst strikeout rates we've ever seen.

Through 10 games, Taylor is slashing (and I use that word lightly) .091/.162/.273, and has just three hits in 37 plate appearances. He's also struck out in 15 of them, good for a strikeout percentage of 40.5 percent. Last year, his 35.2 percent strikeout rate would have been worst in the league, although he didn't qualify with "just" 454 plate appearances.

Safe to say, this is not the start Taylor or the Dodgers were hoping for. And with starting shortstop Miguel Rojas' dealing with one injury after another, he's been thrust into the lineup much more than I think the team wanted.

After one of his many bad games earlier this week, he expressed his frustration to the media (per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times).

"Just a tough game," Taylor said. "It’s discouraging, but that’s part of the game. It’s a long season. Come in tomorrow and get back to work. I’ve been doing it for a while."

It would be one thing if Taylor's struggles were new, but this has dated all the way back to the second half of the 2021 season.

In the first half of the 2021 season, Taylor slashed .277/.382/.452 with 10 home runs, 46 RBIs and 88 strikeouts in 343 plate appearances. His strikeout percentage in that time was just 25.7 percent, and he was named an All-Star for the first time in his career.

Since then, in 730 plate appearances, Taylor is slashing .215/.292/.383 with 22 home runs, 75 RBIs and 254 strikeouts. His strikeout percentage in that time is up to 34.8 percent.

Chris Taylor's stats in the first half of the 2021 season when he was named an All-Star:

343 PA
.277/.382/.452
10 HR
46 RBI
88 K
25.7 K%

Chris Taylor's stats since then:

730 PA
.215/.292/.383
22 HR
75 RBI
254 K
34.8 K%

The Dodgers desperately need CT3 to figure things out.

— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) April 13, 2023

"You’re always frustrated when you’re not having results," Taylor said. “I think you got to just keep going and understand that it’s still early in the season. Like I said, just come in with a fresh mindset, keep working, keep your head down, move forward."

The Dodgers have always given Taylor a long leash, but at some point, something has to give. Taylor is pretty much an automatic out in the lineup, and without the likes of Trea Turner and Justin Turner, the Dodgers need more from him.

The team isn't going to do anything drastic with Taylor just yet — he still has three years (including this one) and $45 million on his contract. But if these struggles continue, the Dodgers are going to have to start figuring out alternatives.