Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker hasn’t played in a major league video game given that fouling a ball off his leg on June 3. The club put him on the 10-day hurt list soon afterwards, noting his injury as a best shin contusion, and it appeared like a brief lack was possible. But weeks slowly developed into months without much development being made towards a return and now Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports that Tucker suffered a fractured shin, although it was never ever framed that method to press reporters.

As kept in mind by Rome, the club has actually explained the injury utilizing terms such as a “deep bruise of the bone” or a “shin contusion” however never ever utilized the word “fracture”. As just recently as Saturday, basic supervisor Dana Brown reacted in the unfavorable when asked if Tucker had a fracture, though he appeared to police to it today.

“After several rounds of medical imaging, we suspect there was some type of small fracture,” Brown stated today. “As with all injuries of this type, once the fracture heals it takes time for the muscles around the leg to regain strength. Tuck has worked extremely hard to get back on the field and thankfully is ready now to help us in September and in the postseason.”

The news a minimum of offers some clearness on why Tucker’s lack has actually extended for as long as it has, however it does raise other concerns. If it took the club 3 months to discover the fracture, what took so long? If they understood all along, why keep it a trick? Members of the media have actually typically revealed aggravation about an absence of details originating from the club about its hurt gamers. When Dusty Baker was still the supervisor, he would typically point out HIPAA laws as a factor for not offering health updates (X links from Rome), regardless of the reality that other clubs routinely offer such details. Rome has actually likewise passed on (X link) that the club doesn’t make its fitness instructor offered to the media and states it protests the cumulative bargaining contract, which is not real. He’s likewise passed on that the fitness instructor has, in the past, prevented gamers from talking to the media about their injuries (X link). It appears this Tucker occurrence might possibly be the most recent and most severe example of an unusual organizational pattern.

Regardless, Tucker is now nearing a return. Pet Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle on X, supervisor Joe Espada stated that Tucker is now running the bases at about 85% strength and might rejoin the club quickly.

Tucker was having an unbelievable season before the injury, striking .266/.395/.584 for a 175 wRC+ through 60 video games, in spite of a below average .245 batting average on balls in play. Since the arrived at the IL, the Astros have actually offered ideal field playing time to each of Chas McCormick, Ben Gamel, Jason Heyward, Mauricio Dubón, Trey Cabbage, Pedro León and Joey Loperfido before he was traded to the Blue Jays. Gamel is the just one because group to have actually produced above-average offense this year and his output is propped up by a .410 BABIP in his 70 plate looks, so getting Tucker back will certainly be an increase to the Astros.