CHICAGO — Kyle Tucker remains out of the Cubs lineup.
The slugger missed his second straight game Friday after exiting Tuesday night’s 4-3 win over the Atlanta Braves early with left calf tightness. After that game, manager Craig Counsell said they’d give him Wednesday off and, coupled with Thursday’s off day, would use the two days to evaluate where he is.
“He’s improved, for sure, and I think we’d like to give him the day to just move around,” Counsell said on Friday morning before the Cubs’ series opener against the Washington Nationals. “Really, we want to get him symptom-free.”
Tucker went through treatment on Wednesday and did not participate in the Cubs’ 5-1 loss to Atlanta.
“Wednesday was a good day in terms of how he came into the park and felt on Wednesday,” Counsell said. “I think he was very encouraged, and we were encouraged that he felt if he had to absolutely play on Wednesday, he probably could have.
“But we’re going to give him a day to do a little more running around today, and then just see where we’re at. But I’m pretty optimistic that we should get him in the lineup by the weekend.”
Willi Castro started in right field for the Cubs in Friday’s series opener and hit sixth. Counsell said Tucker will go through a pregame routine, and the Cubs will determine after that if he’s available off the bench.
The timing of the injury was difficult for Tucker and the Cubs.
After a brutal stretch where he hit .184 with a .549 OPS, one home run and 10 RBI from July 1 through Aug. 18, Tucker bounced back in a big way. He hit .438 with a 1.382 OPS, three home runs and eight RBI during the Cubs’ nine-game West Coast road trip. Then he hit a three-run home run in Tuesday’s win, his first long ball at the Friendly Confines since July 19, and singled before exiting the game.
His offensive reemergence is crucial for the Cubs. The best version of the Cubs offense features a healthy and performing Tucker. Through June, Tucker had posted a 157 weighted runs created plus (wRC+), 57 percentage points above league average and the sixth-best mark among all hitters. That’s the type of impact bat he can be when he’s clicking at the plate.
Tucker suffered what was initially diagnosed as a jammed right ring finger on June 1, sliding into second base against the Cincinnati Reds. Last month, the team confirmed that later imaging had shown a hairline fracture in the hand. But he only missed a couple games due to the injury.
He is a free agent at the end of the year. The Cubs acquired him from the Houston Astros last December, sending third baseman Isaac Paredes, 2024 first-round pick Cam Smith and right-hander Hayden Wesneski to Houston.