The Houston Astros are still hoping to get their All-Star right fielder back into the lineup this season. The tale of Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker continued on Friday, with manager Joe Espada explaining what needed to happen next for Tucker to progress in his recovery from a right shin contusion.
Espada speaks with reporters ahead of Friday’s game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. The first-year manager stated that while Tucker is running, they need to see more from him before determining a timeframe for his return, which would involve a rehab assignment.
“We need to get him running,” Espada told multiple sites, including The Athletic. “The light jog we’re seeing is a step in the right direction, but we want him to be pushing himself, cutting, doing all the outfield drills at max effort for us to put a timetable on when we can get him back.”
So, that is evident. Certainly clearer than general manager Dana Brown’s report to Sports Talk 790-AM in Houston last month. “I’d be really disappointed if it was September but we’re optimistic that it’ll be before September,” Brown told reporters at the time.
With only about 20 days left in August, Tucker’s return before the end of the month may be difficult.
To be sure, the injury sustained by the right fielder
has been stubborn.
Tucker sustained the injury on June 3, when he fouled a baseball off his shin. At the time, the Astros hoped Tucker wouldn’t have to go on the injured list. But a few days later, he needed crutches to keep the weight off the injury, so Houston placed him on the 10-day injured list.
He was nonetheless chosen an All-Star for the third consecutive year, but he did not attend the game, which was held at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, in order to complete his injury rehabilitation. Recent imaging of the shin indicated no injury.
He has participated in traditional baseball exercises such as catch and hitting in the cage, as well as non-baseball activities such as treadmill running.
However, Espada believes that Tucker’s propensity to cut and run harder than a job could be the catalyst for a rehab assignment.
When the 27-year-old right fielder was placed on the injured list, he was slashing.266/.395/.584/.979, with 19 home runs and 40 RBI. At the time, his.979 OPS ranked fourth in the Majors behind Judge, Soto, and Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna. He was second in the American League with 46 walks and third with a.584 slugging percentage. In addition, he walked more than he struck out (41).
Tucker was on track to earn the AL Most Valuable Player prior to his accident. The Astros’ first-round choice from Tampa, Fla., in 2015 has been in the Top 20 of MVP voting each year.
of the previous three seasons, including fifth place last year.
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