Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker shows little progress in calf injury recovery, granted an additional day of rest.

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell is not rushing Kyle Tucker back to the starting lineup despite some initial improvement in his condition, opting instead to give the star outfielder more time to heal from a left calf issue that flared up earlier this week.

Tucker did not play in today’s game, where the Cubs won 11-5 against the Nationals in the series opener, allowing him to participate in pregame drills to assess his potential availability this weekend. Counsell noted that after some running, Tucker’s feedback was “not as positive as we hoped.”

“He hasn’t made progress during the day off,” Counsell said after the win. “He’s kind of in the same place as Thursday. Honestly, tomorrow will be a key day to see exactly where he stands. It’s unfortunate, but that’s our reality.”

This contrasts with the tone before the game, when Counsell had mentioned that Tucker showed improvement on Thursday.

“Honestly, we wanted him to be symptom-free,” Counsell said. “Thursday was a good day based on how he felt when he got to the ballpark. He was very optimistic, and so were we. He thought if he had to play Thursday, he probably could have.”

Now, the Cubs will use the next few days to determine whether placing him on the injured list is the right move.

Tucker was removed in the top of the seventh inning during Wednesday’s 4-3 win over the Brewers after his calf tightness worsened to a concerning level. The outfielder said after the game that he had been managing the issue for several days and had informed the team out of caution. Counsell then rested Tucker for Thursday’s game, and with Friday being an off day, this gave him extra recovery time.

Before leaving Wednesday’s game, Tucker was 2-for-3 at the plate, including a three-run homer, raising his slash line over the past 11 games to .400/.489/.800, with four home runs, four doubles, and 11 RBIs. This strong stretch followed a slump in his previous 40 games, during which he hit just .186/.320/.236 over 172 plate appearances with only one home run.

Counsell granted Tucker two days of mental reset on August 19-20, revealing that the outfielder had been playing injured, having suffered a hairline fracture in his right hand in early June (now healed). Tucker’s recent resurgence has brought his OPS to .853 over 133 games, with 22 home runs, 51 extra-base hits, 73 RBIs, and an equal number of walks (86) and strikeouts (86), along with 25 stolen bases.

Counsell was also asked if the Cubs’ current standing — leading the National League Wild Card race with a 99.8% playoff probability according to Fangraphs — influenced the team’s patience with Tucker’s setback or recent decisions, such as placing pitcher Jameson Taillon (left groin strain) on the injured list.

“That factors in,” Counsell said. “I don’t know if it impacted the decision on Taillon. But I think it’s a small part of it. I don’t think we’re at that point given where we are right now. I think we often want to believe we’re there before we actually are. So, we have to focus on today and winning a baseball game.”

Counsell did not rule out Tucker returning as a designated hitter to reduce the risk associated with his injury.

“We have to use the information we have to make the best decision,” Counsell said. “Today, we believe the best thing for him is to spend more time in a controlled environment rather than playing in the game, which is a bit less controllable. We can do that by having him serve as the designated hitter — that role carries less risk than playing defense. We’ll consider all those factors.”