For the Cubs and Kyle Tucker, injuries and how they have been handled have thus far been the defining factor of this one-year marriage. A terrific start, individually, had Tucker batting .291 at the end of June with a .931 OPS and was matched by a terrific start in the standings for the Cubs, who were 49-35 with a 2.0-game lead in the NL Central.
Over his last 50 games, though, it’s been a much different story for Tucker, as he has batted .233 with a .716 OPS, and the Cubs have gone 27-23 in those games. At fault, in part, was a hairline fracture Tucker suffered in June but played through. The Cubs did not acknowledge the injury until August.
Now, Tucker is dealing with a calf injury he suffered back on September 2, and it does not appear to be going well, either. After declaring that Tucker was progressing to a return and would not need to go in the injured list on Saturday and again on Monday, on Tuesday, the Cubs changed course: Tucker is heading to the IL.
Kyle Tucker: Injury Is ‘Frustrating’
Tucker had been trying to avoid the injured list, obviously, and would have been in the lineup on Tuesday if he had been feeling right. That was not the case, though, he said.
“I was hoping to feel good today and coming in and hopefully getting in there,” Tucker said. “But obviously, it didn’t really work out like that, so that part is kind of frustrating. I’ve just got to kind of take care of it for now and get back whenever I can.”
It’s especially unfortunate for the Cubs, who have been seeing Kyle Tucker round back into form int he past couple of weeks, despite his overall numbers since July 1. Since hitting a home run on August 22, his first homer in more than a month at the time, Tucker has batted .400 with a 1.289 OPS and four homers in 11 games.
He will be on the 10-day IL retroactive to Saturday, meaning the Cubs won’t get him back for another week, at least.
Cubs Are Comfortable in Playoff Position Despite Kyle Tucker Injury
Despite that, the Cubs are 82-63 and lead the National League’s wild-card race by a comfortable margin. They are three games ahead of the Padres, the No. 2 team in the chase, and six games ahead of the third-place Mets.
The Giants, at 74-71, are a full 8.0 games behind the Cubs, with 17 to play. Their magic number for the postseason, then, is nine.
Though there is a desire to finish the season strong and to get Tucker back on track heading into the playoffs, there is little incentive for the Cubs–or Tucker–to push too hard on the calf injury.
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