CHICAGO — It appeared as though Cubs fans were seeing the return of peak Kyle Tucker.

The star slugger crushed a three-run home run in the third inning against the Atlanta Braves, his first extra-base hit at Wrigley Field since a home run on July 19 and added a single two innings later.

But that joy only lasted a couple of more innings. Tucker exited the game after the sixth inning of Tuesday night’s 4-3 win over the Atlanta Braves with left calf tightness, the team announced. He was speaking with trainer Nick Frangella in the dugout after sliding into second base when he out on a fielder’s choice. Willi Castro replaced him in right field.

Kyle Tucker exited the game with left calf tightness, per Cubs.

— Andy Martínez (@amartinez_11) September 3, 2025

Tucker said after the game that he had been dealing with soreness on his left calf “the last couple days”. But he felt fine enough to start on Tuesday – and it showed with his three-run blast.

“Going into the game, it felt all right,” Tucker said. “And then just as the game went, it felt a little more sore and tight. Eventually, I was just like, I’d rather not test this much further and make this more than it really is.”

“As the game went, just got a little more sore … I’d rather not try and test this much further and make it any more than it really is.”

Kyle Tucker left Tuesday’s game with left calf tightness. pic.twitter.com/tPyQ2LZBFS

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Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that they would give him the day off during Wednesday’s series finale, essentially giving him two days off with Thursday’s scheduled off day. The Cubs open a three-game set against the Washington Nationals at Wrigley Field on Friday.

“He’s not going to play tomorrow,” Counsell said. “We just gotta see how he feels on Friday. We’ll be cautious, absolutely, here. Let’s see how it feels Friday and go from there.”

While the calendar has flipped to September, there isn’t a massive urgency to push players with any nicks and bruises just yet. There’s still enough time on the schedule that they can afford to play it save, even as the Cubs hope to return to the playoffs for the first time in a full season since 2018. They hold a 3.5 game lead on the San Diego Padres for the top spot in the NL Wild Card. The Padres are hosting the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night. The win on Tuesday moved the Cubs to five games back of the Milwaukee Brewers and the magic number to clinch a playoff spot is 14.

“Right now, we’re in the playoff hunt and we would like to stay there and get there,” Tucker said. “And obviously try and get there well-rested and everyone healthy. That’s a big part of it.

“Just gotta finish out the year strong and get there. Anything can happen there. Just try to take it day-by-day and game-by-game and see what happens later.”

Tucker suffered a finger injury on June 1 sliding into second base against the Cincinnati Reds, and was initially diagnosed with a jammed right ring finger. Just a few weeks ago, the Cubs confirmed that later imagining had shown a hairline fracture in the hand.

Tucker went through arguably the worst stretch of his career in July and August, hitting .184 with a .549 OPS, one home run and 10 RBI from July 1 through August 18. The struggles led Craig Counsell to sit him for a few games during a pivotal series against the Brewers at Wrigley Field, a set that had massive implications on the NL Central race.

The time off seemed to help Tucker, who hit .438 with a 1.382 OPS, three home runs and eight RBI during a nine-game, 10-day West Coast road trip.

Tucker is a free agent at the end of the season and was acquired via trade from the Houston Astros last December, with third baseman Isaac Paredes, 2024 first-round draft pick Cam Smith and right-hander Hayden Wesneski headed the other way.