Kyle Tucker is back.
But did he arrive with enough time to get back to being the Kyle Tucker the Cubs need him to be?
The Cubs activated their All-Star right fielder from the injured list Friday, and Tucker served as their designated hitter. He reached base twice and scored a couple of runs in a 12-1 rout of the Cardinals.
But with only days before the Cubs start a best-of-three National League wild-card series against the Padres, can Tucker get back into the swing of things and provide the lethal postseason bat president Jed Hoyer’s front office traded for last winter?
‘‘In an ideal world, you’d come back and you’d have a lot more games and at-bats,’’ Hoyer said Friday. ‘‘Hopefully he can recognize pitches well and get back in the swing of things quickly because we’re going to face a lot of good pitching in the postseason.
‘‘I know he’s been hitting and working on those things [while rehabbing]. But there’s not a lot of time.’’
The blockbuster deal for Tucker was made with October — this October — in mind. Not only was it an incredible boost to the Cubs’ lineup, but Hoyer sacrificed years worth of 2024 first-round draft pick Cam Smith to acquire perhaps only one year of Tucker, who’s heading to free agency after the season.
The Cubs hope it concludes with Tucker helping them to a championship.
‘‘He’s our best hitter,’’ Hoyer said. ‘‘The way he conducts at-bats is contagious. It’s really important to have him in there. It lengthens our lineup and makes us better.’’
To get to the promised land, the Cubs will need Tucker to be the hitter he was before the All-Star break, when he fueled one of the highest-scoring offenses in the majors. The script has flipped since the break, with the Cubs’ bats cooling off and the pitching shouldering the load.
But the offense erupted against the Cardinals, and an 11th-hour revival might come at exactly the right time.
Same for Tucker’s return.
‘‘It was good to be out there with the guys again,’’ Tucker said. ‘‘Overall, it was a pretty good day.’’
Still ‘moving forward’ with Horton
Rookie right-hander Cade Horton’s rib injury isn’t so bad that he has been removed the Cubs’ postseason pitching picture. But team brass was short on specifics Friday, describing the Cubs’ approach as ‘‘moving forward’’ with Horton. It was a phrase that was repeated over and over.
Manager Craig Counsell said Horton, who has stood out as one of the best pitchers in the majors since the All-Star break, will play catch for a couple of days before throwing a bullpen session at some point this weekend. The Cubs will monitor Horton closely as they get ready for a decision on his usage in the series against the Padres.
‘‘Let’s keep gathering information as we go,’’ Hoyer said. ‘‘We have time on our side a little bit, so we’ll keep working through each step.’’
Santana gone — for now
With Tucker returning, veteran bench bat Carlos Santana departed the active roster, accepting an option to the Cubs’ complex in Arizona.
According to Counsell, Santana will have to abide by the rules that keep an optioned player from returning for a certain number of days.
But Counsell said Santana will be part of the Cubs’ postseason taxi squad and might return in the event of an injury or if the team makes a lengthy October run.