Kyle Tucker began the season with elite offensive production, posting a 157 wRC+ through June and ranking around 4 WAR. He jammed his right ring finger on a June 1st slide and later disclosed that x-rays taken a week or two after showed a hairline fracture. Tucker produced a 173 wRC+ in June but then hit only one home run over his next 172 plate appearances, suggesting diminished power possibly from swing changes. By mid-August he displayed visible frustration, received a benching for a mental reset, and the team subsequently confirmed he had been playing through the fracture after outside comments prompted disclosure.
Tucker came out of the gates with a 157 wRC+ in 370 plate appearances through June. That performance put him basically in a dead heat with fellow All-Star starter Pete Crow-Armstrong and Shohei Ohtani with 4 WAR, at which point all three players were in the NL MVP race. Tucker jammed his right ring finger on a June 1st slide. He continued to play well, but later revealed that "a week or two after that" x-rays found a hairline fracture.
Tucker was throwing his helmet, slamming his bat, failing to run out grounders, and getting booed by Cubs fans. Cubs manager Craig Counsell announced the plan to give Tucker a mental reset on the bench. The following day, Brewers manager Pat Murphy went on 670 The Score and said, "I think Tucker is hurt. I don't have any information, but Tucker's not the same. He's hurt, and he's playing through it. He's such a class kid that he probably doesn't mention it to anyone."
Collection
[
|
...
]