The Cubs are hoping to have outfielder Kyle Tucker back in the lineup on Friday. “I think we’re trending towards that,” manager Craig Counsell said today, per Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times. Tucker is on the 10-day injured list and would need to be officially reinstated, which would require a corresponding active roster move.
Tucker is one of the better players in the league, when healthy. That qualifier has become more significant in recent years. He hardly missed any time from 2020 through 2023. Last year, a fractured shin limited him to just 78 games.
Here in 2025, he has played far more, though it appears some minor injuries have been impacting his production. He was diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his right hand in June, though that issue didn’t become publicly known until August. He had a huge .284/.395/.524 slash line through June 1st when he jammed his finger sliding into a base. His production continued to be strong in the initial wake of that injury, as he hit .311/.404/.578 in June. But it seemed to catch up to him in July, as he hit .218/.380/.295 that month and .244/.346/.389 in August.
After appearing in just two September games, a left calf strain put him out of action. He wasn’t immediately placed on the IL, as the club seemingly held out hope of him quickly bouncing back. That didn’t come to pass, so he hit the shelf September 9th, retroactive to September 6th. It was hoped that he could make a fairly quick return but that also hasn’t come to pass, as the issue has now lingered for about three weeks in total.
The Cubs have already clinched a playoff spot but won’t be able to secure a first-round bye since the Brewers have the Central sewn up. That means the Cubs will be playing in the Wild Card round, which begins on Tuesday. Ideally, Tucker can indeed be activated on Friday, which would give him three contests to get reacquainted with major league game speed before the playoffs begin.
Given his talents, Tucker’s return will be very important for the Cubs as they look to engineer a deep playoff run. It’s also incredibly important for him personally, since he’s an impending free agent. From 2020 through 2023, he slashed .277/.350/.516 for a 136 wRC+ with 77 stolen bases and strong outfield grades. Last year, even though he missed time with the shin fracture, he had an even better .289/.408/.585 line and 179 wRC+.
He seemed to be trending towards a massive contract this winter, with some even suggesting he could top $500MM on a deal of a decade or longer. This year’s nagging injuries have cut into his momentum. His season-long line of .270/.381/.472 still translates to a strong 139 wRC+ but, as mentioned earlier, he was better before getting banged up. Quickly getting back on track and cranking out a few timely hits under the bright lights of the postseason would surely help ease any sudden doubts that teams may have about making a long commitment to him.
Elsewhere on the Cubs’ roster, the pitching staff is getting a boost. Right-hander Daniel Palencia has been reinstated from the IL today, per Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, with left-hander Jordan Wicks optioned out in a corresponding move.
Palencia hit the IL a couple of weeks back due to a shoulder strain. Prior to that, he was having a breakout season and took over the closer’s role in the process. He currently has 51 innings pitched on the year with a flat earned run average of 3.00. He has struck out 28.1% of batters faced while giving out walks at a 7.6% clip, recording 22 saves in the process.
Getting him back just before the playoffs is a nice bump for the playoffs but the pitching staff could also lose a notable member. Righty Cade Horton, who departed his most recent start due to back tightness, is set to undergo an MRI. Counsell relayed that update on 670 The Score, per Bruce Levine.
Horton has had an excellent debut this year with a 2.67 ERA, 20.4% strikeout rate, 6.9% walk rate and 42.3% ground ball rate. If healthy, he would be in the mix for playoff starts alongside Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd. A notable injury would obviously take that off the table and lead to Jameson Taillon, Javier Assad and Colin Rea jumping up the depth chart.
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Hui, Imagn Images
How much has the second half cost him as a free agent?
Not sure, that’s up to the front office number-crunchers, not him.
Quote a bit IMO. Teams will again question his durability as he approaches his 30s. It’ll be hard to pull the trigger on a massive contract with a guy who is coming off of a bad second half and has had injuries recently. I don’t think Guerrero type money is on the table as many predicted at the all star break.
Some team will definitely pull the trigger on that massive contract. Dude still has a 139 wRC+ despite enduring a horrible month of July and a bad August.
He’s gonna get paid, just not to the level people kept predicting going into his age 29 season. I just don’t see the $400-500M contract people were throwing out there.
As long as the Dodgers, Phillies, Mets, Giants are still in major league baseball next year Mr. Tucker isn’t going to miss a thing.
It only takes one….
I don’t think Tuckers return is as important as Palencia’s. Although you would rather have Tucker on the Playoff Roster than the pathetic Santana he’s not the greatest OF I’ve ever seen and I can’t really see how he got that reputation. Suzuki is fine although he’s had his moments but hopefully you get Tucker and Caissie back and lose Santana and Alcantara and you have options. How many guys do you get on the playoff roster anyway? Might have to leave Caissie off if someone has to go. Hoyer is never going to sit his prize acquisition no matter what.
Palencia hasn’t pitched well for a month. They need to ease him back in. And not as closer.
Having PCA and Busch for the foreseeable future – and Ballesteros looking better and better as he performs well as a 22 year old – the need for the Cubs to resign Tucker definitely isn’t a necessity. Especially having drafted LHH collegiate OFer Ethan Conrad in the first round of this years draft.
Come to think of it, that’s another hint’ they never were serious about resigning Tucker. They gave Smith away for nothing.
Been saying that since the day after it happened but it’s done and can’t be undone. Sadly. This is where I would put the frowny face.
Suzuki has been one of the worst hitters in baseball since the break. .597 OPS with TWO home runs. Why he isn’t hitting 8th is a mystery. He has been pressing at the plate for two months now and Counsell still puts him in a position where he has to produce is just insanity at this point. He should’ve been sat for a few games like Tucker and dropped in the order.
Well I was talking about him as an OF on defense mostly. All of the Cubs hitters are either all or nothing and have been most of the year. Just hope they don’t all go dormant again in the playoffs.
Not much. It’s a calf strain. Last year, it was fractured shin from a foul ball. Neither are dehabiliting injuries. He’s also maintained his excellent walk rate this season.
Too little too late. The 3 game sweep in San Diego is inevitable.
And impossible. But, nice try.
Don’t be a smart a— you know what I mean
Yeah don’t be a smart a—you know what I mean
I honestly don’t know what you mean, you presented an impossible scenario.
An even better try on the come back.
Which team gets the sweep?
If Horton is healthy and Laureano is out, Cubs are the favorite, especially at home
Tucker will be an Atlanta Brave next year.
Haha, Atlanta who is basically at the CBT for next year already due to all their long term deals?
Only if you are talking the return of Michael Tucker
Or Cole Tucker coming out of retirement.
Naaa keep his ahhh out of the lineup
Talk about completely leaving hundreds of millions on the table
You’re insane. Dude is still gonna clear 350-400, and it was never going to be 500. His track record is gonna get him a stupid contract, and it should. Won’t be on the North Side, but the next 3-4 generations of Tuckers are gonna be just fine, despite this weak narrative.
He’ll get paid a lot more than you think he will.
Will be good to have both back. Tucker was really starting to get the motor revving on offense the week before he went down with tightness. Plus, the team just operates better having that guy in the line-up.
There’s always way more drama than necessary when Palencia takes the mound, but there’s no arguing he’s been anything but a huge plus for this team in 2025. The bullpen as a whole has been a huge plus.
If the Cubs lose Horton for the playoffs- or, similarly, if his back makes it difficult for Horton to continue his typical second-half dominance- that’s a tough blow for the Cubs as the playoffs loom.
Expat….every report seems good on Horton today.
Im envisioning we will see Counsell getting 12, maybe 15 outs from the starters next week and then going to the Pomeranz-Theilbar-Kittredge-Palencia-Keller fire drill, one inning at a time, in order to best fit the need. I think we could see Palencia much earlier than normal.
With Taillon pitching Sunday I would suspect he won’t be on the initial postseason roster.
I think Rea makes it then as you have to protect a long extra inning game with no runners on base in the playoffs. May run into the need of a 3-4+ inning stint.
Once they’d clinch the home games for the Wildcard games, I wouldn’t be surprised if Taillon would either be pulled from the Sunday start – or maybe be on a limited pitch count.
I think it’s safe to say that the Cubs would prefer Taillon ahead of Rea, in a series deciding game.
Don’t disagree on seeing Civale and group on Sunday—
The one thing for sure is that Horton, Boyd and Shota are on full rest after tomorrow.
I don’t disagree too much either on Taillon over Rea, but either or both are only pitching in an 11+ inning game.
Anybody who pays 400 million for Tucker would buy land in the Florida Swamp. I’ve got a Honus Wagner baseball card I made with a copy machine if you’re interested.
Probably a better investment than $72M on Tanner Scott. Extended his blown save lead last night.
What a bullet the Cubs dodged.(if you were running the team)
Would have been eliminated long ago if the Cubs signed him.
And it’s not the $400 million that Tucker could get—it’s the number of years that it’s gonna take.
If I’m the Cubs or ANY other team I sign Tucker for $400M (its not my money)—but I can’t do it for 9-10-11 years.
It’s never the money—they all have it—-it’s the years that get ya.
He’ll clear $400 million easily.
At least Tanner Scott shows up for work. More than I can say about Tucker. And the team that spends that kind of money on Tucker will be making 4 times the mistake that was made for Scott. There’s still 3 years left on that deal and a chance for him to shine in the Playoffs.
DH who won’t be able to leg out a double.
Kirk Gibson enters the chat….
So not even a DH.
I’m not sure a still-injured Tucker and Palencia are going to help the Cubs much in San Diego Tuesday and Wednesday. Counsell did a very good job of bringing them into the playoffs despite everybody stopping hitting after the ASB, but the team looks done now.
The big story of the off-season, I think, will be another pursuit of Alex Bregman. And maybe Alcantara.
Alan, are you sure your name isn’t Nellie?
The magic number to hold the series at Wrigley Field should be two after tonight. There, the Cubs and Padres will have a fairly even shot at winning whether it be in two or three games.
Good win if they can hold on tonight.
All real fans are always nervous. We aren’t amateur general managers like so many here; we are fans. We hope for the best but know that things can go wrong–and that not a single win can be assumed.
Dude…the countdown is continuing…only four more days to endure your Cubs aren’t going to make playoffs….the Cubs will be 15 back drivel.
Love the “not a single win can be assumed” line…. but it’s ok for YOU to assume the Padres OR Dodgers are going to win this weekend and finish win more wins than the Cubs to host next week.
I am going to guess one of the most frequently muted guys here, but I resist just to read the drivel….like searching for a train crash.
Told you the Cubs would make it!
I know- I’d love to mute him but it’s astonishing the things that come out of his mouth. I almost think he’s an AI generated creation. Alan53-LPCFSM25 is like no other.
Seemed like an Astros issue last year. Now it’s the same “we’re not sure why his injury isn’t progressing” this year with the Cubs.
At this point I really have to wonder how Tucker handles injuries. Guy seems pretty baseball or nothing if you catch my drift. Not sure how much non baseball knowledge is floating around in his brain. Add in the fact that he left the team the day before they clinched the playoffs, so he missed the celebration with the team.
The team clearly needs him for the 2025 playoff run, but I’m not sure I’d want to deal with him on and off for 8-10 years.
I say you’re right. Thanks but no thanks.