JUST IN NOW: Houston Astros Confirm another sad news concerning their key man just now
Houston Astros right fielder Kyle Tucker’s recovery from a bruised right shin has taken far longer than initially expected when he first sustained the injury in early June.
Now, The Athletic reports that the Astros believe Tucker’s injury may have been more severe than originally thought.
Since Tucker fouled a ball off his right shin against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 3, the team has listed it as a right shin contusion on the official injury report.
However, on Monday, Astros general manager Dana Brown issued a statement to The Athletic revealing that Tucker may have had a fracture.
“After several rounds of medical imaging, we suspect there was some type of small fracture,” Brown said. “As with all injuries of this type, once the fracture heals it takes time for the muscles around the leg to regain strength. Tuck has worked extremely hard to get back on the field and thankfully is ready now to help us in September and in the postseason.”
Interestingly, The Athletic reported that Brown was asked twice on Saturday if Tucker had sustained a fracture, and he denied it both times. However, the site cited three sources familiar with the situation who confirmed that Tucker did suffer a fracture.
This would explain the extended recovery period for what was initially thought to be a minor injury that wouldn’t require a stint on the injured list.
Tucker is now close to returning to the lineup. He took live batting practice for the second time in three days on Sunday at Minute Maid Park and has been sprinting in the outfield. He still needs to run sprints around the bases before being fully cleared.
His progress has been encouraging enough that manager Joe Espada told MLB.com and other reporters they are considering taking Tucker on their upcoming road trip to Cincinnati, which starts on Monday.
Brown also mentioned on the Astros’ pre-game radio show that Tucker might skip a minor-league rehab assignment and could be activated as early as Wednesday.
Before landing on the IL, the 27-year-old right fielder was slashing .266/.395/.584 with 19 home runs and 40 RBI. At the time, his .979 OPS ranked fourth in the Majors, trailing only Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, and Marcell Ozuna. He was second in the AL with 46 walks and third with a .584 slugging percentage, and he had more walks (41) than strikeouts.