Kyle Tucker ‘Trending Towards’ Friday Return in Limited Capacity

The Cubs scored 10 runs in their Wednesday win over the Mets, and their 17 runs in the first two games of the series are as many as they’ve scored in consecutive contests since July 5 and 6 against the Cardinals (L 6-8; W 11-0). Incidentally, the Cubs scored 11 in the first game of that series as well. That the offense appears to be on an upward trajectory is good enough on its own, but the Cubs should get reinforcements this weekend against those same Cards.

“I think our goal right now, and I talked to Kyle today about it, is to be in the lineup on Friday,” Craig Counsell said before Wednesday’s game, indicating Tucker would serve as the DH when he returns. “I think we’re trending towards that. I don’t have a report on today, but in talking to him before the day started and while the day was going on inside, we were on the same page with that.”

That last little bit is important, as it hasn’t seemed like Tucker and the team have been synced up when it comes to the treatment of his injuries this season. The hand fracture was a different story because his numbers in June, when the injury occurred, were his best of the year. By the time he’d settled into a prolonged slump, it was no longer a matter of getting right physically.

The calf strain is a different story because Tucker’s placement on the IL was so delayed that the team ended up playing shorthanded for nearly a week. Counsell even said he was available off the bench the weekend before he was shelved. Then the outfielder jetted to Tampa to see his own physical therapist rather than continuing to undergo treatment with the team’s medical staff. While he may not be fully healthy the rest of the way, even having him in a slightly reduced capacity makes the Cubs a better team.

“I don’t think the symptoms are gonna be gone, but I think he’s in a place where he agrees that we’ve gotta go,” Counsell said. “We’ve gotta see what it feels like to play. I think maybe the games can help him here and give him some confidence in a certain situation.

“We’ll probably put a governor on it. I will encourage him to not go all out when you don’t have to. And to keep it 80-90% but that’s kinda where we’re at.”

I think the best option would be for Tucker to hit home runs in every at-bat so he can just trot around the bases. In all seriousness, it should help to get him some reps against a team that has already packed it in for the season. The Cardinals don’t figure to pull out all the stops over their final three games, so Tucker should see some good pitches to drive. At the very least, he’ll have a chance to get his timing in live action before the big games get started.

In other injury news, Daniel Palencia recorded two outs with one K in his return from the IL due to a shoulder strain. Owen Caissie was also back with the team at Wrigley on Wednesday, but Counsell said he’s still experiencing concussion symptoms and hasn’t made much progress on that front. Miguel Amaya got into the lineup with the Iowa Cubs in four of their last five games, and now he’s in Mesa as he continues to work back from a sprained left ankle. The plan is for him to rejoin the Cubs this weekend so they can see whether he’ll be ready for the playoffs.

With all due respect to those players, Tucker has a far greater capacity to impact the Cubs positively in the postseason. He’s also got far greater earning power, and coming back with a big performance in October will help him to recoup any potential salary that may have been lost here in the second half. I no longer maintain any optimism that the Cubs are able or willing — which is the more important factor — to re-sign Tucker, but he can still go out with a bang and leave a legacy that’s somewhat less fraught than it otherwise could be.