Cubs' Kyle Tucker Reportedly Suffered Hand Fracture in June, Declined Injured List

Chicago Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker reportedly played through an injury earlier this season.

Per ESPN's Jesse Rogers, Tucker suffered a hairline fracture in his right hand in June, but opted against going on the injured list so he could continue playing for the Cubs, who were in first place in the NL Central at the time.

According to Rogers, the injury occurred on June 1 when Tucker slid into second base against the Cincinnati Reds.

At the time of his diagnosis, Tucker was hitting his stride as he recorded a .982 OPS in the month of June. His initial X-rays were negative, and the team suggested he just had a jammed finger, but further imaging revealed a fracture near where the pinky and ring finger meet, per Rogers.

Since his strong play in June, Tucker has struggled in recent months, recording a .189 batting average with just four extra-base hits in July and a high ground-ball rate of 54 percent, according to Rogers. That slump led to manager Craig Counsell giving Tucker a few days off this week to "reset." Tucker missed his third consecutive game on Wednesday.

"We're going to have to take a little step back here, for sure, and just give him some days off to reset him, hopefully, because he's frustrated," Counsell told reporters Monday.

Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer suggested that Tucker's injury has played a role in his slump.

"I know it did bother him for a while," Hoyer said earlier this month, per MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. "I don't know whether it still bothers him, whether it created some bad habits along the way with compensating and things like that. 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."

The Cubs may not be able to recapture the top spot in the NL Central after the Milwaukee Brewers' recent surge, but they're still in a good position to reach the postseason, sitting five games ahead in the wild card race.

Tucker will look to use his time off to regain his composure as the postseason nears.