The Chicago Cubs sent their strongest signs that they had every intention of chasing their first World Series championship since 2016 — and only second since 1908 — when they traded three players in the offseason, including MLB Pipeline top 100 prospect Cam Smith, to the Houston Astros for three-time All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker, who posted a .993 OPS for the Houston Astros in 2024.
The Cubs then shelled out $16.5 million to sign Tucker for his final year before he becomes eligible to hit the free agent market.
Tucker made his fourth All-Star team, but with the season entering its final month and the Cubs still pursuing the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the National League Central after leading the division by 6 1/2 games as late as June 17, Tucker strained his left calf muscle and proceeded to miss almost the entire final month of the season.
Tucker Returns to Face Cardinals
But on Friday, Tucker was back. The Cubs activated the 28-year-old former Astros first-round draft pick just in time for the final three-game series of the regular season — a series that will play a key role in determining home field advantage in the Wild Card round of the postseason.
Veteran first baseman Carlos Santana — claimed on waivers by the Cubs August 31 after he was released by the Cleveland Guardians — agreed to accept a minor league option to make room on the roster for Tucker’s return. Santana will be assigned to Chicago’s taxi squad for postseason play.
The Cubs hold the top National League Wild Card spot, but entering Friday were just two games ahead of the San Diego Padres. The two teams will face each other in the best-of-three Wild Card round, with all three (if necessary) games played at the home park of the team that finishes with the better record.
Home Field in Wild Card At Stake For Cubs
In the event that the Cubs and Padres finish with the same record, the Padres would host the Wild Card series at PetCo Park, because they hold the tiebreaker based on each team’s record within its own division.
The Cubs host the 78-81 St. Louis Cardinals, who have been eliminated from the prospect of postseason play, for the final three games. The Padres draw what appears to be a tougher assignment, hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks who remain in contention for the final NL Wild Card, but would likely need a sweep of San Diego to get there.
However, if the Cubs somehow drop two of three to the Cardinals, and the Padres sweep Arizona, the Cubs would fall into the second-seeded Wild Card position and must travel to San Diego starting Tuesday where they would attempt to win two games there in order to advance to the NL Division Series.
With the Cubs winning the opener against St. Louis in a Friday afternoon Wrigley Field game, that is the only scenario by which the Cubs could lose home field in the Wild Card round.
Tucker started Friday’s game as the Cubs designated hitter. In his second at-bat he picked up a single and later scored on a two-run home run by Pete Crow-Armstrong as the Cubs cruised to a lopsided victory.
The best-of-three Wild Card series will mark only the second time the Cubs and Padres have squared off in the postseason. The last time came 41 years ago, in 1984. In that era, there was no Wild Card and only two divisions per league, with the winners meeting in a best three-of-five league championship series.
