Houston Astros superstar takes major steps toward return

At one point, the Houston Astros were hoping their All-Star outfielder, Kyle Tucker, would need only a few days to return after hitting a baseball to his right shin on June 3.

It was almost a month ago.

Now, Tucker has been on the 10-day injured list long enough to be able to return. Although the tibia did not suffer serious damage, its progress was slow. He required crutches early in his recovery to reduce the weight of the injury.

But on Wednesday, before the Astros beat the Colorado Rockies to get back to .500 for the first time this season, Tucker made progress.

According to MLB.com, the superstar hit 30 balls off a tee to test his right shin bruise. According to manager Joe Espada, Tucker will travel with Houston to face the New York Mets starting Friday in hopes he can begin ramping up his baseball activities this weekend.

“I want to see him here, on the pitch, moving, running,” Espada said. “We’re not there yet, but we’re getting close. »

Tucker is the third leading outfield vote-getter in voting for the American League All-Star Game, which ends Thursday at 11 a.m. central. Currently, it would move on to the second phase of voting, which would determine the starting lineup.

If New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge remains the top draft pick in the American League, he will automatically earn a spot in the starting lineup. That means Tucker will be competing with five outfielders for the final two starting spots.

Tucker has been an All-Star each of the last two years, and his numbers this season would likely land him on the team, either as a starter or a reserve.

When the 27-year-old right fielder came on the IL, he was hitting .266/.395/.584/.979 with 19 home runs and 40 RBIs. At the time, his .979 OPS was fourth in the Majors behind Judge, Juan Soto and Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna. He finished second in the AL with 46 walks and third with a .584 slugging percentage. He also had more walks than strikeouts (41) at the plate.

This is shaping up to be another season that puts Tucker in the running for AL MVP.

The Astros’ first-round pick from Tampa, Fla., in 2015 has been in the Top 20 in MVP voting in each of the last three seasons. He achieved his best result in 2023, finishing fifth. Shohei Ohtani won the award.

He is under team control through the 2025 season and a contract extension doesn’t seem likely until after the season. Houston and Tucker tried twice and couldn’t come to an agreement on a long-term deal.