Dodgers: Utility Player Continues to Rack Up K's at the Plate
![Dodgers: Utility Player Continues to Rack Up K's at the Plate Dodgers: Utility Player Continues to Rack Up K's at the Plate](https://www.si.com/.image/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/MTkxOTQyNDM2MDgyMTY1NDEx/usatsi_18936154_168396005_lowres.jpg)
Chris Taylor is known to be a post-season hero. So we even though the 31-year-old is struggling in the batter's box, fans can have faith that the utility player will pull through in the months to come.
Taylor was once the Dodgers' best hitter during the 2021 post-season run slashing a very impressive .476/.542/1.048 with a 1.590 OPS. But things have taken a turn for the worse since then as he's posting a .230 batting average, the lowest he's batted since joining the Dodgers in 2016.
Back in July, CT3 did suffer from a small fracture in his left foot forcing him to sit out for a month. Even before his injury, Taylor still wasn't hitting like the stud he was last fall.
In June, he has a .648 OPS and was fourth in strikeout rate with a 35.4%. After returning to the lineup come August, things did not seem to turn around. Taylor is currently 11-for-60 (.183 avg) and is striking out nearly half of his at-bats with a total of 27 Ks.
The Dodgers veteran's failure to create some action has brought a lot of concerns to the LA fanbase as the postseason approaches but fortunately, Taylor has some post-season experience to back himself up.
Across five seasons, he's averaged a .259 BA with a .842 OPS while also being a part of the 2020 World Series team.
Nonetheless, Dodgers Manager, Dave Roberts, had this to say about the struggling righty, (quote from OC Register’s Bill Plunkett).
“CT, with what he’s done, certainly deserves an extended leash. I have no problem saying that. But the strikeout rate, the swing-and-miss rate is alarming. I know he’s not trying to swing and miss, trying to strike out. But I think for me to feel confident to run him out there more consistently, it’s just got to get better. And I know he understands that too. He’s more frustrated than anyone is.”
CT3 will pull through soon, it's always hard to make a breakthrough comeback after an injury.
So, as fans keep their fingers crossed that the seasoned utility man comes to life soon, they can also rest assured in the fact that the LA team is deep this year. The more experienced players in the lineup, the better, but the Dodgers have proven to be deadly across the whole 9 spots.