Week In, Week Out: Update On Kyle Tucker’s Injury?
The winning streak has not slowed down for the Cubs, as they finished their recent homestand with a 5–1 record and now boast a 37–22 overall record.
Additionally, they sit a full four games ahead of their division rivals in St. Louis and are tied for first in the National League.
With the way that the offense has looked over the first month and a half of the season, you’d naturally assume that was the case this week. However, in this instance, it was not; in fact, the Cubs only scored more than four runs once over the stretch.
This is largely due to Wrigley Field not being very “hitter-friendly,” as the wind was blowing in off the lake for all six games.
Chicago’s pitching was impressive this week, considering it had to pitch around the lack of offense.
Sure, the conditions were in their favor, but an excellent outing from a group that has been, for the most part, struggling in 2025.
Kyle Tucker’s Injury: What’s Next?
In the first inning, Kyle Tucker was caught stealing for the first time this season, and all seemed to be normal. However, when the superstar right fielder took his next at-bat in the third inning, he reported stiffness in his right ring finger. As the Cubs held a sustainable lead at the time, Craig Counsell opted to remove Tucker from the game for precautionary reasons. It turns out Tucker sprained his finger, avoiding a rather serious injury. In all likelihood, he misses two to three games but could return sooner.
With such a deep roster the Cubs have, especially at the catcher position, I believe that these will be the changes that Craig Counsell makes for Tuesday’s game at Washington.
- RF: Seiya Suzuki
- DH: Carson Kelly
- C: Reese McGuire
Is The Bullpen Good Now?
In years past, the bullpen has almost always been the silver bullet to success for the Cubs, and that is roughly the case for the past two-plus seasons. From Albert Alzolay to Hector Neris to Julian Merryweather, Chicago has seen no shortage of lackluster play from players who should be reliable. However, a new leaf was turned, as over the course of the past week, Chicago has continued to see reliable arms enter the game and retire batters in order. Caleb Thielbar continues to be one of the best value deals I have seen for the Cubs.
Then you’ve got the young, flame-throwing right-hander Daniel Palencia, who has been elite since the blown save in Miami. Brad Keller has still been incredibly reliable, and even Ryan Pressly has turned the corner. In 19.1 innings pitched this past week, the bullpen held a 0.46 ERA. Since May 14th, they’ve held a 1.16 ERA. This group has continued to shine lately, and I think they have been severely overlooked. They have been absolutely vital to the Cubs’ recent success.
What’s Next
As another successful homestand comes to a close, the Cubs open a nine-game road trip that begins in Washington, D.C. and comes to a close in Philadelphia on Wednesday of the following week. In between those two, they play three on the weekend against the best team in baseball, the Detroit Tigers.
We are at that point again where Chicago will open another tough stretch of games, similar to the first month of the season.
With Tucker’s injury to the beat-up starting rotation, it will surely be interesting if this roster can sustain wins without some key pieces.
PHOTO: Lon Horwedel/Imagn Images
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