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Cubs Dealt Blow As Star To Miss Another Game Tonight

Originally posted on Chicago Cubs on SI
By Benjamin Rosenberg | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 1:16 PM ET

For the second straight game, the Chicago Cubs will be without one of their top power bats as right fielder Kyle Tucker will not play Friday against the Washington Nationals due to a calf injury.

ESPN's Jesse Rogers first reported the news Friday morning.

Tucker had felt something in his calf prior to Tuesday night's game against the Atlanta Braves but played through it, hitting a three-run home run to help the Cubs to a 4-3 win. He left that game in the seventh inning and did not play Wednesday night in Chicago's 5-1 loss to Atlanta.

Per Rogers' report, manager Craig Counsell said the team is hopeful that Tucker will be able to play later in the weekend, though he could be limited to designated hitter duties.

Kyle Tucker (calf) won’t start today, per Craig Counsell. Team is hopeful he’ll play sometime this weekend. Could be at DH.
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) September 5, 2025

Willi Castro, whom the Cubs acquired from the Minnesota Twins at the trade deadline, will start in right field in Tucker's place Friday, batting sixth in the lineup. Left fielder Ian Happ will move up to the No. 2 spot typically occupied by Tucker.

Castro is batting just .159 with a .410 OPS and only two extra-base hits in 21 games as a Cub. He did drive in Chicago's only run in Wednesday night's defeat, and he does offer positional versatility, having played all three outfield spots as well as third base and second base since the trade.

Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is back in the starting lineup Friday after Counsell decided to give him a "physical and mental break" Tuesday and Wednesday amid his recent struggles. Crow-Armstrong gives the Cubs elite defense and base-running, but slashed just 160/.216/.230 in August and was especially bad against fastballs, hitting .111 against velocity.

Start of three vs. D.C. pic.twitter.com/ndwXW7rSaQ
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 5, 2025

Tucker has managed to avoid a stint on the Injured List during his first season with the Cubs following a trade last December from the Houston Astros in exchange for rookie Cam Smith, third baseman Isaac Paredes and pitcher Hayden Wesneski. He has played in 133 of the team's 142 games and has an OPS of .854 with 22 home runs and 73 runs batted in.

However, Tucker did play through a hairline fracture in his right hand after sliding into second base against the Cincinnati Reds on June 1. He posted his best month of the year in June — not counting the seven games he played in March — then saw his production nosedive in July and August, culminating in his brief benching during a key series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Tucker since his return

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Since he returned to the lineup, Tucker more closely resembled the hitter he had been throughout much of the first half. He hit three home runs during a series sweep over the Los Angeles Angels and hit .438 on the Cubs' nine-game road trip that ended last Sunday.

Chicago will need Tucker at his best in order to make a deep postseason run. Tucker will be a free agent at season's end and is expected to command somewhere around $400 million on the open market this winter.

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