The Chicago Cubs have been without Kyle Tucker, their superstar outfielder, whom they spent a lot of capital on this offseason in a trade with the Houston Astros, for a decent chunk of the 2025 MLB season.
Tucker has played the majority of the year for the Cubs, but in September, Tucker was placed on the injured list with a calf injury. With the postseason right around the corner, his recovery is a huge deal for the Cubs.
However, as Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports, Tucker is leaving the Cubs to travel to Tampa to see his physical therapy group in hopes of making progress on his calf injury, which hasn't shown signs of improvement.
Kyle Tucker is heading to Tampa to heal his injured calf
Tucker heading away from the team to try a different healing method doesn't bode well for the Cubs for multiple reasons. The obvious, and most detrimental one, is that his calf isn't recovering properly.
#Cubs Kyle Tucker left this morning to see his PT group in Tampa. His left calf has not made any progress so they’re trying something different.
— Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) September 17, 2025
If his calf injury isn't healing properly, then the Cubs might have to be without Tucker for the postseason. Tucker's calf recovery has, according to Craig Counsell in a report from Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, "plateaued."
This update is bad news for the Cubs, as Tucker's calf injury might carry over into the postseason. And with the Cubs unlikely to earn a first-round bye, the Cubs might have to play a postseason series without their superstar trade pickup from the offseason.
What makes things even worse for the Cubs, aside from the potential that Tucker misses the postseason, is that Tucker is in the final year of his current deal and will be a free agent.
It's unfortunate, but there's a scenario that, following this calf injury, Tucker misses the rest of the season, including the postseason, and then departs in free agency for a new team.
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That's the worst-case scenario, and while there's no indication that it's what'll occur, it's hard to ignore the possibility with this latest report on Tucker's injury.
For now, the Cubs and Tucker are hopeful he can return before the season comes to a close. Mooney reports Tucker will rejoin the team next week, but the concern over Tucker's health is real.
With this injury not making any progress, there is a concern that Tucker will miss a bit more time than expected, potentially eating into the postseason.
Tucker, in 133 games for the Cubs, has a .270 batting average with an. 854 OPS and a 147 OPS+ and 4.7 WAR. He's one of the most valuable Cubs players, and his All-Star nod for Chicago was well deserved.
But this injury is a big concern. While it's too soon to call it season-ending, the injury is something to monitor as the 2025 season comes to a close. Tucker needs to make progress over the next few days in Tampa; otherwise, he might not play for the Cubs again this season.
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