This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastianâ€s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
CHICAGO — When the Cubs uncorked the champagne and celebrated their first postseason berth in five years last week, Kyle Tucker was absent from the party in Pittsburgh. The star outfielder was en route to Florida as part of his effort to get to the bottom of a calf injury that has sidelined him for three weeks.
The Cubs hope to have a few more celebrations in October involving Tucker, but the timing of his return remains cloudy. His situation will loom large over the final homestand, as the North Siders get closer to knowing their first-round opponent and site. Tucker is set to rejoin the team on Tuesday at Wrigley Field to assess his progress and potential readiness.
“Weâ€ve got to figure out when and if heâ€s going to be available,†Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “Weâ€ve got six games left.â€
Counsell added that it is more likely a five-game runway for Tucker, as the manager did not expect him to be in the starting lineup for Tuesdayâ€s game against the Mets. As of Sunday, Tucker had yet to resume running drills to test his left calf, which flared on Sept. 2 and necessitated a trip to the 10-day injured list on Sept. 9 due to little improvement.
Tucker and a member of Chicagoâ€s medical team headed to his Tampa, Fla., home on Wednesday to meet with a physical therapy group that has worked with the outfielder in the past. He has leaned on the group in the offseason and also consulted it during a comeback from a right shin injury last year with the Astros.
“He had a tremendous September last year coming off a similar situation,†said Counsell, who reiterated that the goal is to get Tucker into games before the playoffs arrive.
Tucker lost three months of his season between June and September a year ago before slashing .365/.453/.587 in 18 games prior to the postseason with Houston. The outfielder put up those numbers without having a Minor League rehab assignment before being activated.
Given Tuckerâ€s low-maintenance approach to hitting work behind the scenes, the Cubs are hopeful he can similarly regain his rhythm in the batterâ€s box this time around. Tucker rarely takes batting practice on the field, preferring to stick to a cage routine that involves specific drills and tracking pitch shapes and movement.
Tucker certainly looked to be in a groove prior to the setback, hitting .327 with a 1.040 OPS in the 15 games before landing on the IL. That stretch came after he hit .190 with a .571 OPS in the previous 35 games. In the wake of that slump, it was also revealed that Tucker had played through a (since-healed) hairline fracture in his right hand, sustained on June 1.
Early on this season, when Tucker was producing at an MVP-caliber level en route to a place in the National Leagueâ€s All-Star starting lineup, he made an impact not only through his production but as a presence for the hitters around him. His return would certainly make the Cubs†offense look more formidable as October arrives.
Cubs fans will recall Kyle Schwarberâ€s famous return for the World Series in 2016 after missing almost the entirety of that season due to a severe knee injury. He rejoined the lineup for the Fall Classic and hit .412 in five games, including a three-hit showing in the decisive and historic Game 7 in Cleveland.
Could Tucker step right back in and immediately power a deep October run?
“Nobody knows the right answer to that question,†Counsell said. “We have history on both sides of it, examples on both sides of it. We feel better if we see [him back], right? It just makes us feel better — itâ€s one of those situations. I could feel better.â€
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