Kyle Daniel Tucker (born January 17, 1997), nicknamed "King Tuck", is an American professional baseball right fielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs. Internationally, Tucker represents the United States.
A native of Tampa, Florida, Tucker won Florida's Gatorade Player of the Year Award while attending and playing for Henry B. Plant High School. Tucker was selected by the Astros with the fifth pick in the first round of the 2015 MLB draft, and he made his MLB debut with them in 2018. In 2021, he was selected to the All-MLB Team for the first time. The following year, he earned his first World Series championship, MLB All-Star selection, and Gold Glove Award. In 2023, Tucker was the AL run batted in leader and won his first Silver Slugger Award. Since 2021, Tucker has made the All-Star Game four times.
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High school career
Tucker attended Henry B. Plant High School in Tampa, Florida, and played for their baseball team. He set a school record with 31 home runs in his high school career.
Tucker appeared in Perfect Game's All American Classic. Tucker was named Florida's Gatorade Player of the Year in 2015. He also won the Baseball America High School Player of the Year Award. Tucker committed to attend the University of Florida to play college baseball for the Florida Gators.
Professional career
Houston Astros
Projected to be a first-round pick in the 2015 MLB draft, the Houston Astros selected Tucker fifth overall. He signed with the Astros, receiving a $4 million signing bonus rather than attend college.
Tucker played for the Greeneville Astros of the rookie-level Appalachian League. He began the 2016 season with the Quad Cities River Bandits of the Single–A Midwest League, and received a midseason promotion to the Lancaster JetHawks of the High–A California League. Tucker hit .285/.360/.438 with 32 stolen bases, nine home runs, and 69 runs batted in (RBIs) in 2016.
Tucker began the 2017 season with the Buies Creek Astros of the High–A Carolina League and was promoted to the Corpus Christi Hooks of the Double–A Texas League in May. He appeared in the 2017 All-Star Futures Game. He finished the season batting a combined .274/.346/.528 with 25 home runs and 90 RBIs between Buies Creek and Corpus Christi. After the season, the Astros assigned Tucker to the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League.
Tucker began the 2018 season with the Fresno Grizzlies of the Triple–A Pacific Coast League. After he batted .306 in 80 games, the Astros promoted him to the major leagues on July 7.
Tucker made his major-league debut on July 7, 2018, versus the Chicago White Sox. He collected his first major-league hit and RBI that day. He batted .141/.236/.203 in 72 plate appearances for the Astros in 2018.
Tucker spent the 2019 minor league season with the Round Rock Express, hitting .266/.350/.555/.905 with 34 home runs, 97 RBIs, and 30 stolen bases. Tucker was promoted to the Astros on September 2, 2019. In 2019 with the Astros, he batted .269/.319/.537 with four home runs and 11 RBIs in 67 at bats, while stealing five bases without being caught.
In 2020, playing in 58 of the abbreviated sixty-game season, Tucker batted .268/.325/.512 with six triples (leading the American League), nine home runs, and 42 RBIs in 209 at bats, and stole eight bases while being caught just once. He also placed sixth in the league in RBIs, sixth in extra-base hits (27), and seventh in stolen bases. He played in 13 playoff games, batting .306/.327/.367 before a season-ending loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Championship Series (ALCS).
Chicago Cubs (2025)
On December 13, 2024, Tucker was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Isaac Paredes, Hayden Wesneski, and prospect Cam Smith. He made his Cubs debut in Game 1 of the Tokyo Series, where he went 0–4. In Game 2 of the Tokyo Series, he collected his first hit as a Cub with a double off Alex Vesia onto the left-field wall in the bottom of the ninth inning versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. On March 29, 2025, he hit his first home run as a Cub off Brandon Pfaadt when he hit a two-run homer in the top of the fifth inning in a 4–3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Tucker then hit three more home runs in three straight games, making a career-high milestone for his career by hitting a home run in four consecutive games.
He was named National League (NL) Player of the Week on April 7 following a 9-for-23 performance, three home runs, and eight RBIs over the prior six contests, his first weekly honor in the major leagues. Tucker hit his 10th home run of the 2025 season, a 384-foot blast off Clay Holmes, in a Cubs loss against the New York Mets on May 9, 2025. Tucker was elected as the National League's starting right fielder on July 2 for the All-Star Game. He was placed on the 10-day injured list on September 6 due to a Left calf strain. He was activated from the IL on September 26. In 136 appearances for Chicago, Tucker batted .266/.377/.464 with 22 home runs, 73 RBI, and 25 stolen bases.
Los Angeles Dodgers
On January 21, 2026, Tucker signed a four year, $240 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The deal included opt outs after the second and third years, a $64 million signing bonus, and $30 million of deferred money.
International career
On August 27, 2022, Tucker committed to play for the United States in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Personal life
Tucker's older brother, Preston, is also a professional baseball outfielder who was drafted by and played for the Astros, appearing with the major league club in 2015 and 2016. Kyle, a natural right-hander, started batting left-handed as a result of mimicking his older brother, who is naturally left-handed. Preston held the Plant High School home run record with 29 until Kyle surpassed him and finished with 31.
On December 23, 2022, Tucker announced via Instagram his engagement to girlfriend Samantha Scott. They both graduated from Plant High School in 2015 and began dating in 2017 while Scott was attending Florida State University. Tucker announced via Instagram that he and Samantha got married on January 13, 2024.
The Kyle Tucker Foundation
In early 2022, Tucker initiated his eponymous foundation to increase awareness for non-profit hospice care centers. He opened it as a response to the death of his grandfather in 2021 during hospice care. The foundation officially recognizes hospice centers, the efforts of staff members, partners with local businesses to raise awareness, and aids families of those undergoing hospice care in both Tampa and Houston. Tucker announced via Instagram in July 2025, that he is opening a branch of his foundation in Chicago.