CHICAGO – Cubs manager Craig Counsell has used the past week to find moments to give a few of his regulars a day off from being in the starting lineup. Kyle Tucker’s turn arrived on Wednesday afternoon against the Reds, offering the chance for both physical and mental rest for Chicago’s right fielder.
“A day off to reset,” Counsell told reporters.
The North Siders have been trying to get their lineup rolling again, and Tucker plays an important role as an offensive catalyst for the unit. Following MVP-caliber production out of the chute this season -- helping fuel one of baseball’s top lineups -- Tucker has cooled considerably over the past several weeks.
While Tucker has not used this as an excuse, the timing of the offensive fade seems to line up with him injuring his right ring finger on June 1 in a game against the Reds. X-rays showed no structural damage and the outfielder returned to the lineup within a few days, but his production has not looked the same in the weeks since that minor setback.
“I know it did bother him for a while,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said on Tuesday. “I don’t know whether it still bothers him, whether it created some bad habits along the way with compensating and things like that. There’s no question that when you look at his numbers, it’s had an impact on him, for sure. That’s the nature sometimes of these small injuries -- they can do that.”
Tucker was asked Wednesday morning if the finger was still a lingering issue.
“It’s fine,” Tucker told reporters. “I’ve got to go out and do my job regardless of how I feel. I’m just trying to continue that the best I can.”
Through June 1, Tucker was batting .284/.394/.524 with 12 homers, 10 doubles, 39 RBIs and more walks (40) than strikeouts (32) in 59 games (269 plate appearances). In the next 52 games (223 PAs), he has hit .255/.373/.413 with six homers, 11 doubles, 22 RBIs, 39 strikeouts and 35 walks. His strikeout rate climbed to 17.5% in that more recent stretch, compared to 11.9% through June 1.
“Kyle’s going through a baseball season. He spoiled us in the month of April,” Counsell said. “His numbers are pretty close to his career numbers -- pretty much on his career numbers right now. And coming off a bad streak, that’s kind of where you want it to be, actually. … That’s the amazing thing about Kyle, is I can use the word 'struggling' and he has an on-base percentage [close to] .400.”
In the period through June 1, the Cubs as a team averaged 5.8 runs per game with a 120 wRC+ overall. From June 2 through Tuesday, Chicago was averaging 4.5 runs per game with a 106 wRC+ as a team. Tucker has not been alone in the Cubs’ offensive issues in the past month, but there is no denying the impact he has on the group.
“I still feel like I’m still swinging at pitches I want to and taking ones I don’t want to swing at,” Tucker said. “It’s just the pitches over the plate, I just end up fouling off or I might swing and miss at times. Then I just end up getting in worse counts and it kind of just doesn’t work out from there. … I’ve just got to grind through it and try to figure it out, and hopefully turn it around.”