Prior to Friday’s game against St. Louis, the Cubs activated Tucker from the 10-day injured list following his nearly month-long bout with a left calf strain. Tucker returned to the lineup as a designated hitter for the North Siders, as he continues to work toward being back at full speed when it comes to running.
“In an ideal world, you come back and you have a lot more games and at-bats,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “Whether it’s two or three games, hopefully, he can recognize pitches well and get back in the swing of things quickly, because we’re going to face a lot of good pitching in the postseason.”
In order to add Tucker back to the active roster, veteran infielder Carlos Santana accepted an option to the Arizona complex, per manager Craig Counsell. By agreeing to that move, Santana can remain in the fold as an experienced depth piece for the postseason.
“He won’t be with us this weekend,” Counsell said. “But then as the playoffs starts, he will rejoin us and essentially be on the taxi squad for the playoffs. He cannot be recalled until his [10] days are up, but if there’s an injury or we advance further in the playoffs, then he’ll be eligible for those rosters.”
Tucker exited Chicago’s game on Sept. 2 due to the calf issue, which he noted had been bothersome for a few days prior to that setback. He attempted to return swiftly, but persistent issues with the leg necessitated a trip to the IL on Sept. 9. Tucker visited his long-time physical therapy group in Tampa last week, rejoined the Cubs on Tuesday and ramped up activity in recent days.
In 133 games this season entering Friday, Tucker hit .270 with 22 homers, 25 doubles, 73 RBIs, 25 stolen bases and an .854 OPS for the Cubs. Before landing on the IL, he hit .400 with four homers and a 1.289 OPS in his previous 11 games. Tucker was back in the lineup on Friday as Chicago’s cleanup hitter.
“He’s our best hitter,” Hoyer said. “The way he conducts at-bats is contagious, so I do think it’s really important to have him in there. It just lengthens our lineup and makes us better.”
Horton on track for playoffs
Cubs rookie Cade Horton played catch on Friday, taking a step forward after exiting his start on Tuesday due to tightness in his mid-back and rib-cage area. Counsell noted the righty will have a bullpen session in the coming days and remains on target to be available for the postseason.
“We’re comfortable just moving forward and continuing him just progressing,” Counsell said. “We’ll see how he feels as the week goes. But so far, so good.”
An MRI exam showed “some areas of concern” in Horton’s ribs, but the Cubs had another physician review the imaging and Counsell said it “confirmed” a comfort level with proceeding as planned. Horton, 24, left his last outing after three innings (29 pitches) due to the issue, which initially flared as he battled illness and coughing recently.
While the Cubs have not revealed their rotation plans for the NL Wild Card Series, Horton is lined up as a possibility for Game 1 (Tuesday) or Game 2 (Wednesday) against San Diego. In the second half, the NL Rookie of the Year contender spun a 1.03 ERA for the North Siders.
“He’s been as good as any pitcher in baseball in the second half,” Hoyer said. “He’s been amazing. I’m hopeful that he’s the Rookie of the Year. He threw today. The next step would be a bullpen. We’ll keep moving forward.”
