The Cubs had hoped that Kyle Tucker wouldn’t need a stint on the injured list for the left calf ailment that has kept him out of the lineup since Sept. 2.
Alas, the Cubs placed Tucker on the IL on Tuesday with a left calf strain. The move is retroactive to Saturday, meaning he will be eligible to return on Sept. 16 at the earliest.
Tucker tested out his left calf with a series of agility drills on Monday at Truist Park prior to Chicago’s game against the Braves. Manager Craig Cousell said then that Tucker could be available off the bench and sounded optimistic that the star outfielder wouldn’t miss much more time. However, Tucker will now miss at least another week amid what has been a tough second half of the season for him.
Overall, he is hitting .270 with 22 home runs, 73 RBIs and an .854 OPS over 133 games in his first season with the Cubs.
Ballesteros, the club’s No. 2 prospect and No. 50 in MLB, returns to the big leagues after playing in six games — five in May and one in July — during his debut season. He has four hits in 18 at-bats during his limited time in the Majors. He is hitting .316 with an .858 OPS and 43 extra-base hits across 446 at-bats with Iowa this season.
