Cubs left-handed hitter Kyle Tucker stayed inside a fastball and sent it on a line the other way. It carried over the left-field fence for the big hit in the Cubs’ 4-3 victory -Tuesday against the Braves.
That three-run homer in the third inning extended a hot stretch at the plate for Tucker. He entered the game with a 1.207 OPS over the last week and a half.
Tucker, who also singled in the fifth to go 2-for-3, left the game after the sixth with what the team called tightness in his left calf. Willi Castro replaced him in right field.
“I felt a little soreness the last couple days,” Tucker said. “But I felt it a decent amount coming in today. I tried to do some treatment stuff, get ahead of it earlier, before the game. Did as much as I could.
“Going into the game, it felt all right. And then, as the game went, just got a little more sore, tight. And eventually I was just like, I’d rather not try and test this much further and make it any more than it really is.”
Manager Craig Counsell said he plans to give Tucker the day off Wednesday, going into the off day Thursday. The team will reevaluate Tucker on Friday.
Tucker’s recent hot streak dates back to the series opener against the Angels, when he and Pete Crow-Armstrong both snapped 25-game homerless streaks.
At the time, it felt like a turning point for the pair of struggling All-Star outfielders. But that ended up only being true for one of them.
Crow-Armstrong’s performance has remained uneven. He recorded five hits in the next five games. But he went hitless for three games in Colorado, finally breaking the streak with a two-strike bunt single in the Cubs’ win Monday against the Braves.
The Cubs, knowing the boost Crow-Armstrong can give the lineup when he’s swinging the bat well, recalled rookie outfielder Kevin Alcantara on Monday to have someone who could give Crow-Armstrong a break against some left-handed starting pitchers.
Alcantara made his season debut Tuesday, starting in center field against Braves left-hander Joey Wentz.
The Cubs also used some time off to help Tucker get back into a groove at the plate. His power slump predated Crow-Armstrong’s, going all the way back to the beginning of July. Counsell gave Tucker three straight games off shortly before he hit three home runs in two games against the Angels.
“The guy’s great to have around,” Crow-Armstrong said after the first game of that series. “And he’s been battling whatever he’s been battling but hasn’t made that the thing. All he’s done is come in and work and play a good right field and deal with the Wrigley sun and the Wrigley wind, and wind blowing in his face when he’s hitting. He’s just been a pro. And if anything, he has shown me how to stay the course, like a ton of others have.”
Crow-Armstrong doesn’t have the long track record that Tucker does. But between a strong second half of 2024 and an MVP-level first half of 2025, he has proven that he can sustain a hot streak at the plate.
Alcantara gives him the chance to take a breather and stay fresh down the stretch while searching for the key to another strong run.
“I came here to win,” Alcantara said before the game, adding that he was up for whatever role Counsell presented him. “I’m trying to enjoy the game and enjoy the clubhouse with the guys. If I’m winning and I’m on the bench, I’m happy.”
The Cubs escaped with the win Tuesday, even as the Braves staged a partial comeback against Cubs starter Shota Imanaga. He allowed three runs, one on a wild pitch and two on solo homers, in six innings.
Alcantara singled in his first at-bat, and when Tucker homered two batters later, Alcantara was the first Cub to cross the plate.