NEW YORK — Kyle Tucker has been searching all season long.It has been a trying first year in Los Angeles for the Dodgers’ marquee off-season signing. Tucker came into Friday’s series opener against the New York Mets with a .689 OPS, nearly 200 points lower than his career mark. His strikeout rate is nearly 20 percent, which would be his highest over a full season. Tucker’s power had been zapped — of his 82 hits, 55 were singles and just seven were homers. Tucker has never hit fewer than 22 homers in a full season.When Mets’ reliever A.J. Minter left a 94-mph fastball center-cut, Tucker did what he was supposed to do — something he has done too rarely in a Dodger uniform. Tucker turned on the pitch and barreled it to right field for a two-run shot, providing the Dodgers with pivotal insurance runs in a 4-2 victory.It was Tucker’s first home run in over a month. It was also a reminder of the production the Dodgers want to see from their corner outfielders throughout the final two months of the regular season.“Felt good overall,” Tucker shrugged. “Just trying to have good at-bats and do more of that.”Obviously, that’s much easier said than done.When the Dodgers signed Tucker to a four-year, $240 million contract this winter, they did so believing he would slot in near the top of an already packed lineup. The team was still weeks away from spring training when manager Dave Roberts dubbed Tucker either his No. 2 or No. 3 hitter, spots usually reserved for a club’s most prolific hitters.But Tucker’s lack of production resulted in a drop to the bottom third of the order. It hasn’t helped that his corner counterpart, Teoscar Hernández, has also slumped since returning from a hamstring injury. With the Dodgers at an MLB-best 66-38, there isn’t much to nitpick about this roster. Still, the club wants more slug and more power from its corners.“It’s important,” Roberts said after the game. “When we put this team together, you don’t see Tucker in the (seventh spot), Teo in the 8. But once they get going, it adds some true length to our lineup. The corner production in the outfield hasn’t been what it needs to be, but I do believe that the back of the baseball card means something.”