Astros’ Kyle Tucker receives crucial update after concerning shin injury but unfortunately he will be available
Given how poorly the Houston Astros have begun the 2024 season, the last thing they need is an injury to one of their best players. However, on Monday night, that’s exactly what happened after star right fielder Kyle
Tucker had to exit the game in the bottom of the third inning of their 7-4 win over the St.
Louis Cardinals after hitting a foul ball off his shin.Tucker, on a 2-0 count against Cardinals starter Kyle Gibson, uncorked a huge swing on a cutter that drifted inside the plate. Unfortunately for the Astros right fielder, the batted ball ricocheted off his shin, and he immediately writhed on the ground in pain while he clutched onto the impacted area.The good news is that Tucker only appears to have sustained a right-shin contusion and that his X-rays were “good,” said manager Joe Espada, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic.
It’s unclear just how severe the injury Kyle Tucker sustained is. But it’s a good development for the Astros that Tucker did not sustain a fracture of any sort.
Now, Espada said that the right fielder is currently day-to-day and that it’s too early to tell if a trip to the injured list will be required. Nonetheless, Tucker himself is in good spirits, and he is adamant that this is nothing he can’t get past even though he needed crutches to “get around” the Astros clubhouse, according to Rome.
“I feel good. We did some X-rays, and nothing was broken or anything. I’m sure we’ll do some more stuff tomorrow and whatnot, but right now, it’s just kind of hurting. It’s all right; we’ll get through it,” Tucker said.Kyle Tucker reached base on an infield single in his lone at-bat of the game before exiting due to injury. The Astros were down 3-0 at the time of his exit, but they proceeded to rattle off seven runs, including two in the very same inning Tucker exited, after Mauricio Dubon, the player who replaced Tucker, reached base via walk.That was not the first time Kyle Tucker fouled a pitch off his shin and immediately went to the ground in pain.
Back on April 18, 2023, in a ballgame against the Toronto Blue Jays, Tucker also swung heavily on a pitch that drifted way inside, and he ended up fouling the pitch off of himself. Tucker had a near-identical reaction nearly 14 months ago to the one he had Monday night
Now, the good news is that Tucker didn’t even need to exit the April 18, 2023, game; in fact, he hit a run-scoring single in the very same at-bat where he sustained the shin injury
