Houston Astros slugger expresses frustration with progression of injury

Kyle Tucker was in Queens, New York, on Friday to watch the Houston Astros take on the New York Mets.

He watched the Astros lose, and right now, that’s all he can do.

In Friday’s pregame, Tucker repeated his rehabilitation program for his right shin contusion, which he suffered earlier this month. He hit 35 balls off a tee and ran on a treadmill.

On Wednesday in Houston, he hit 30 balls off a tee. So that’s a little progress.

But it’s also clear that he’s frustrated with the progress he’s made after an injury that the Astros initially hoped wouldn’t even result in a stint on the injured list.

“I never really had the big jump forward that we were hoping for,” he told MLB.com. “There’s not much you can do about it. … Hopefully I can get going soon.

Tucker said he’s done everything he can to get back on the field. At this point, he’s at the mercy of his body’s ability to recover.

Tucker was injured June 3 when he hit a baseball in the shin. He didn’t suffer serious injuries, according to the Astros. But a few days later, he needed crutches to help support the weight of his injury and Houston placed him on the 10-day disabled list.

Astros manager Joe Espada hopes to see Tucker do more soon.

The injury did not diminish Tucker’s chances of reaching the All-Star Game for the third straight year. He advanced through the first phase of voting to put himself in the running for one of the two remaining starting spots in the outfield.

With New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge already clinched a spot in the starting lineup, Tucker will compete with the Yankees’ Juan Soto, Cleveland’s Steven Kwan and Baltimore’s Anthony Santander in the second phase of voting that begins Sunday. He’ll find out Wednesday if he makes the starting lineup.

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, 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.

The season is shaping up to be another one that puts Tucker in the running for the AL MVP award. The Astros’ first-round pick out of Tampa, Fla., in 2015 has been in the top 20 in MVP voting each of the last three seasons. His best finish came in 2023, when he finished fifth. Shohei Ohtani won the award.