After going 0-for-4 in the Chicago Cubs' 7-0 defeat in the first game of their Monday doubleheader versus the Milwaukee Brewers, Kyle Tucker will not play in the nightcap. And according to manager Craig Counsell, it could be the first of several days off for the struggling right fielder.
Tucker has slogged through a 2-for-25 (.080) stretch over his past seven games, which has extended a significant slump for him since the All-Star break. During the second half of the season, he is hitting .182/.333/.239 with one home run and six RBI in 110 plate appearances. He hasn't hit a home run since July 19.
That's nearly a 180-degree turn from the .280/.384/.499 slash average, 19 doubles, 17 homers, 56 RBI and 22 stolen bases that earned Tucker a spot on the National League All-Star team.
Cubs fans voiced their disapproval of Tucker's recent performance, booing him during Monday afternoon's game.
"The fans are frustrated and Kyle is frustrated," Counsell said after the game. "When you make outs, it doesn’t look good. He’s trying. It's just not clicking."
"We’re going to have to take a step back here, just give him some days off to reset him, hopefully," he added.
Though Tucker has denied it, injuring his right ring finger on June 1 while running the bases may be a major factor in his struggles.
“It’s fine,” Tucker told MLB.com's Jordan Bastian on Aug. 7. “I’ve got to go out and do my job regardless of how I feel. I’m just trying to continue that the best I can.”
Yet Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer believes that the injury is affecting Tucker more than he'll admit, whether it's in how he grips the bat or the mechanics of his swing.
“I don’t know whether it still bothers him, whether it created some bad habits along the way with compensating and things like that," Hoyer said. "There’s no question that when you look at his numbers, it’s had an impact on him, for sure. That’s the nature sometimes of these small injuries — they can do that.”
Tucker wasn't the only Cubs batter who didn't hit in Monday afternoon's loss. The team managed only two hits against four Brewers pitchers, one of which was rookie Owen Caissie's first in the major leagues.
Starting pitcher Cade Horton also had to leave the game in the third inning due to a blister on his right middle finger. Four batters before leaving the game, Horton gave up a home run to Brice Turang, grooving a 97 mph fastball right down the middle of the strike zone for an early 1-0 Milwaukee lead.
Following Monday's doubleheader, the Cubs (70-54) have three more games this week against the Brewers. They came into the series eight games behind Milwaukee (79-45) in the NL Central and could face a double-digit deficit by Thursday. The Cubs then go on a nine-game road trip out West against the Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies.
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