Tucker is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres.
The Astros continue to manage Tucker's workload carefully coming off an extended absence due to a shin fracture. Since returning from the injured list Sept. 6, Tucker has bowed out of the lineup four times in 12 games. The reins on Tucker gradually appear to be loosening, however, as he started in right field each of the past three days after previously being limited to designated-hitter duties in four of his first five starts upon returning from the IL.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Swipes bag
Rotowire
Tucker went 2-for-4 with a walk, a steal, an RBI and a run in Tuesday's win over the Padres.
Tucker was one of two Astros to have multiple hits on the night and his second hit was a big one, as he drove in what would end up being the game-winning run with a single in the top of the 10th. While Tucker started out 1-for-10 over his first three games after returning from a fractured shin Sept. 6, he has since gone 8-for-21 with three RBI and five runs scored over the last seven games while also swiping his first base since coming back.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Slugs pinch-hit homer
Rotowire
Tucker hit a solo home run in his only plate appearance Saturday against the Angels.
The Astros continue to keep Tucker's workload in check, as he sat for the third time in eight contests since being activated from the injured list. However, he entered Saturday's contest in the ninth inning as a pinch hitter and homered for the first time since returning from his shin injury. Houston is slowly ramping Tucker back into defensive work in the outfield, so he could continue getting more days off than usual.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Sitting Saturday
Rotowire
Tucker is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Angels.
Tucker went 1-for-4 with one walk and one run scored in the Asros' 5-3 win over the Angels on Friday. The 27-year-old will continue to be slowly brought back into regular action after he was activated from the 60-day injured list last week. Ben Gamel will start in right field and bat eighth.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Expected back in outfield Friday
Rotowire
Astros manager Joe Espada said Thursday that he plans to have Tucker back in right field for Friday's game against the Angels, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
All four of Tucker's starts since he was activated from the 60-day injured list last week have come from the designated hitter spot, but his return to his familiar position in right field is imminent. Tucker is 2-for-11 with two RBI over 16 plate appearances since rejoining the Astros' lineup.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Day off Wednesday
Rotowire
Tucker is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Athletics, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
The Astros are being extra careful with Tucker after he returned Friday following a lengthy stint on the injured list. He'll be getting his second day off in five contests, with all three of his starts thus far having come as the Astros' designated hitter.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: First hit since return
Rotowire
Tucker went 1-for-2 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored Monday against the Diamondbacks.
Tucker was activated from the injured list Friday after a three-month absence and has started at DH in two of three games since. He reached base three times -- once on catcher's interference -- with a single coming in the ninth inning. Tucker will likely take some time to shake off rust and is also likely to get maintenance days down the stretch as the Astros turn their focus to the postseason.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Idle Saturday
Rotowire
Tucker isn't in Houston's lineup for Saturday's game against the Diamondbacks, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Tucker went 0-for-2 with a walk and a HBP on Friday in what was his first game in over three months, and he'll now take a seat Saturday as the Astros ease him back into big-league action. Chas McCormick, Jake Meyers and Ben Gamel will act as Houston's outfield trio while Tucker rests.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Back as DH on Friday
Rotowire
Tucker (shin) was activated from the 60-day injured list Friday and is batting fourth as the designated hitter against the Diamondbacks.
Make sure to get Tucker into daily and weekend lineups. The 27-year-old missed just over three months after suffering a fractured shin June 3 that was originally reported to be a contusion.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Hoping to be activated Friday
Rotowire
Astros manager Joe Espada said Thursday that the hope is Tucker (shin) will be activated from the 60-day injured list Friday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Tucker is with the team in Cincinnati and has been going through pregame workouts. The Astros are gauging how he bounces back from those workouts before determining whether he's ready to return to the active roster. Barring a surprise, it sounds like Tucker should finally be back this weekend. He's been shelved since early June with a right shin fracture.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Not expected back Thursday
Rotowire
Astros manager Joe Espada said Wednesday that it's "unlikely" Tucker (shin) will be activated from the 60-day injured list Thursday, though the skipper didn't fully rule it out as a possibility, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
GM Dana Brown indicated over the weekend that Tucker could be back from the injured list at some point this week, and Tucker continues to be evaluated day-by-day. The 27-year-old hasn't seen game action since early June with what was initially labeled a bone bruise, but the injury was recently revealed to have been a shin fracture.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Recovering from shin fracture
Rotowire
The shin issue that has kept Tucker out since early June is a fracture, not the "deep bruise of the bone" or "shin contusion" that the Astros had previously termed the injury, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Even as recently as Saturday, general manager Dana Brown said the outfielder did not suffer a fracture, but Brown reversed his stance Monday, conceding that the Astros "suspect there was some type of small fracture." While the fracture explains why Tucker has taken far longer to recover from the injury than anticipated, the revelation fortunately doesn't alter his timetable for a return from the 60-day injured list. He's expected to be activated this week, perhaps as soon as Wednesday.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Could return this week
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Astros general manager Dana Brown said Sunday that Tucker (shin) could be activated from the 60-day injured list and "potentially play maybe Wednesday or Thursday" in Cincinnati, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Tucker's lengthy rehab program from a deep bruise in his right shin that first cropped up in early June seems to be nearing its end. The star outfielder reached a major milestone in the recovery process by running the bases at full speed this past week, and he took another major step forward by facing off against live pitching in batting practice Sunday for the third day in a row, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. After Sunday's workout, manager Joe Espada concurred with Brown's assessment of the outfielder, telling McTaggart that Tucker is "really, really close" to returning. Espada didn't elaborate much further on the matter, but Tucker looks like he could bypass a rehab assignment and return to the lineup at some point during the final two games of the series in Cincinnati. His return during the final four weeks of the season would provide a major jolt to a Houston squad that has managed to climb its away to the top of the AL West standings without Tucker for the past three months.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Runs bases, homers twice in live BP
Rotowire
Manager Joe Espada told Sportstalk 790 Houston that Tucker (shin) ran the bases and took live batting practice Saturday.
Espada noted that Tucker hit two home runs in live BP and said the outfielder is "getting close" to a return from the 60-day injured list. Tucker cleared a major hurdle by running the bases -- typically one of the final steps before a player is cleared to return to a game setting. Sidelined since early June with a deep bruise of his right shin, Tucker suggested Friday that he's eyeing a return during the team's next homestand, which begins Friday.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Aims to return next homestand
Rotowire
Tucker (lower leg) said Friday that he will likely be activated from the 60-day injured list during a homestand that runs Sept. 6-12, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Tucker ran at full speed and took a full round of live batting practice Friday. He still needs to run the bases at full speed, which is expected to happen soon. Tucker didn't totally rule out a return during next week's series in Cincinnati, but it sounds like the Astros' homestand is the much likelier scenario. He's been sidelined since early June with a bone bruise in his right shin.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Taking live BP
Rotowire
Tucker (shin) is taking live batting practice Friday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
The 27-year-old progressed to running full speed earlier this week and is now facing live pitching. The big hurdle left for Tucker is running the bases, which Astros manager Joe Espada said Thursday could happen soon. A return in early September remains possible for Tucker, who has been sidelined since June 3.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Running at full speed
Rotowire
Astros manager Joe Espada said Tuesday that Tucker (shin) has begun sprinting and is close to running the bases, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Running the bases is viewed as Tucker's final checkpoint before being sent out on a rehab assignment, and he could take that step soon after being cleared to sprint. It's unclear how many rehab games Tucker might need before being activated from the 60-day injured list, but he and the Astros have been tentatively aiming for an early-September return.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Possible early September return
Rotowire
Astros general manager Dana Brown said Friday on MLB Network's "MLB Now" that he hopes Tucker (shin) will be able to return in early September.
Brown noted that while Tucker has been upping his baseball activities, the outfielder still feels some soreness in his right leg "when he has to sprint or do anything at a quick pace." Tucker has also not yet run the bases, which he must do before being cleared for a rehab assignment. While a return in early September is possible, Tucker still has some boxes he needs to check before he can make it happen.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Not yet running bases
Rotowire
Tucker (shin) took batting practice and was involved in outfield drills Monday, but manager Joe Espada said that the outfielder won't be close to heading out on a minor-league rehab assignment until he runs the bases, MLB.com reports.
Tucker remains limited to jogging for the time being while he recovers from a bone bruise in his right shin, which has kept him on the shelf since July 7. The Astros and fantasy managers alike had initially anticipated a brief absence for Tucker, but he's taken far longer than expected to heal from the shin injury and may now be trending toward a September return from the injured list. At the very least, managers shouldn't plan on Tucker being available for the start of the Astros' two-city road trip, which begins Thursday with a four-game set in Baltimore.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Could run bases soon
Rotowire
Astros manager Joe Espada said Sunday that Tucker (shin) seems to have turned a corner in his recovery and is "getting close" to running the bases, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Tucker will meet up with the Astros in Tampa ahead of the team's three-game series against the Rays that begins Monday. He'll presumably get his right shin checked out by team trainers, and if they're satisfied with Tucker's progress, the outfielder could start running the bases again. Because he's been on the shelf since June 7, Tucker will require a rehab assignment or will need to take part in multiple simulated games before the Astros are comfortable activating him from the 60-day injured list. Tucker remains without a precise timeline for being activated, though barring any further setbacks, a return in late August seems within reach.
