Kyle Tucker was out of the lineup, and it started with calf tightness that sidelined him since September 2. But manager Craig Counsell desperately wants him to play before their regular season wraps up on September 28 against the St. Louis Cardinals. “It’s important that he plays next week,” Counsell stressed. “We’re doing everything we can to make that happen.” But will it actually happen?
Kyle Tucker finally offered an update when he was speaking with Marquee Sports Network about his recovery. “I feel a little better,” Tucker shared. This hope comes after a frustrating month of setbacks. The team initially hoped a few days of rest would solve the problem. But the lingering discomfort forced the Cubs to place him on the injured list on September 9, a move retroactive to September 6.
The situation grew so frustrating without any progress that Tucker and a Cubs medical staff member flew to his hometown of Tampa for specialized physical therapy after the Cubs plateaued in recovery. Counsell said the team hoped Tampa specialists would find why progress had slowed down, as Tucker had already previously worked with that Tampa group during the offseason and even when he was with the Astros, recovering from a shin contusion that cost him nearly half of the season.
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“You know, whether that’s just a couple extra days or whatever extra treatment and stuff that I’ve been able to do in my rehab stuff. So, um, feeling good,” Tuker said via Marquee Sports Network. And as he knows it’s not just his decision, Tucker admitted, “Obviously, there’s probably a few more boxes I gotta check off before, you know, everyone’s comfortable with me going out there.”
He noted that the coaching and training staff need to be comfortable with his status. And the goal is: “So, um, just gotta work through that the next couple of days and try to get back, get back out there as soon as possible.”
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But as of September 22, reports confirmed Tucker still had not resumed running during rehab sessions. Counsell reflected, “We’ll have to just kind of assess progress at that point. We’ve got to figure out when and if he’s going to be available,” about Tucker’s availability. So, even if Tucker heals, live at-bats remain unlikely before October.
Yet Tucker’s health is directly tied to the Cubs’ postseason dreams.
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The team officially clinched its first playoff berth since 2020 on September 17 and currently holds the top Wild Card seed with an 88-68 record. Plus, as per The Athletic‘s preseason Hope-O-Meter poll, fans are 79.5% optimistic that the Cubs will grab the World Series ring. That massive expectation adds a whole new layer of pressure for Tucker’s return.
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Roster patchwork: Who’s filling Tucker’s shoes?
With Tucker out, Utility man Willi Castro has seen more time in the outfield rotation, where he joined Kevin Alcántara and the team’s usual designated hitter, Seiya Suzuki. To add another bat, the Cubs recalled catcher Moisés Ballesteros, the club’s No. 2 prospect and No. 50 in MLB Pipeline, who hit .316 with an .858 OPS in Iowa this season and appeared in six games for the big-league club earlier this year.
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But the Cubs are certainly missing Tucker’s power in the lineup, who was batting .270 with 22 homers and 73 RBIs this season. Before this latest setback, Tucker was on fire, hitting .400 with four homers, four doubles, 10 RBIs, and a 1.289 OPS in an 11-game stretch. Even on the day the calf tightness popped up, he smashed a homer and went 2-for-3 against the Braves on 2nd September at Wrigley Field.
But his slashline was .186/.320/.236 with one homer, and 11 RBIs in 172 plate appearances in around 40 games before that hot streak. Back then, he was even benched multiple times, got booed, and survived a hairline fracture in his right hand in the final year before becoming a free agent next Winter.
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But meanwhile, Tucker isn’t the only player the Cubs are worried about, as Closer Daniel Palencia has been sidelined with a shoulder strain. Rookie outfielder Owen Caissie is also out with a concussion. And even the starting rotation lacks a true, dominant playoff ace due to the season-long loss of ace Justin Steele. His absence has stretched the starting rotation thin all year.
So, the stakes are high. And if the 79.5% hope turns into reality, it remains to be seen…