Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker hasn’t performed in a giant league sport since fouling a ball off his leg on June 3. The membership positioned him on the 10-day injured listing shortly thereafter, itemizing his harm with no consideration shin contusion, and it appeared like a brief absence was potential. However weeks step by step became months with out a lot progress being made in the direction of a return and now Chandler Rome of The Athletic stories that Tucker suffered a fractured shin, regardless that it was by no means framed that strategy to reporters.
As famous by Rome, the membership has described the harm utilizing phrases akin to a “deep bruise of the bone” or a “shin contusion” however by no means used the phrase “fracture”. As just lately as Saturday, common supervisor Dana Brown responded within the adverse when requested if Tucker had a fracture, although he appeared to cop to it right now.
“After a number of rounds of medical imaging, we suspect there was some sort of small fracture,” Brown mentioned this morning. “As with all accidents of this kind, as soon as the fracture heals it takes time for the muscle groups across the leg to regain energy. Tuck has labored extraordinarily exhausting to get again on the sphere and fortunately is prepared now to assist us in September and within the postseason.”
The information at the very least offers some readability on why Tucker’s absence has prolonged for so long as it has, nevertheless it does elevate different questions. If it took the membership three months to search out the fracture, what took so lengthy? In the event that they knew all alongside, why preserve it a secret? Members of the media have typically expressed frustration a few lack of expertise coming from the membership about its injured gamers. When Dusty Baker was nonetheless the supervisor, he would typically cite HIPAA legal guidelines as a motive for not offering well being updates (X hyperlinks from Rome), although different golf equipment recurrently present such data. Rome has additionally relayed (X hyperlink) that the membership doesn’t make its coach obtainable to the media and says it’s towards the collective bargaining settlement, which isn’t true. He’s additionally relayed that the coach has, previously, discouraged gamers from chatting with the media about their accidents (X hyperlink). It appears this Tucker incident may maybe be the newest and most excessive instance of an odd organizational sample.
Regardless, Tucker is now nearing a return. Pet Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle on X, supervisor Joe Espada mentioned that Tucker is now working the bases at about 85% depth and will rejoin the membership quickly.
Tucker was having an unbelievable season earlier than the harm, hitting .266/.395/.584 for a 175 wRC+ by way of 60 video games, despite a subpar .245 batting common on balls in play. Because the landed on the IL, the Astros have given proper subject enjoying time to every of Chas McCormick, Ben Gamel, Jason Heyward, Mauricio Dubón, Trey Cabbage, Pedro León and Joey Loperfido earlier than he was traded to the Blue Jays. Gamel is the one one in that group to have produced above-average offense this yr and his output is propped up by a .410 BABIP in his 70 plate appearances, so getting Tucker again will clearly be a lift to the Astros.
