Chicago Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker. Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Kyle Tucker booed at Wrigley Field for not hustling

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated Aug 18, 2025 10:51 AM ET

Chicago Cubs fans are not exactly pleased right now with the Kyle Tucker experience.

The Cubs outfielder received boos during Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Ill. With Chicago trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning, Tucker hit a slow groundball to the right side of the infield.

Instead of running out the grounder, Tucker simply took a few steps out of the box … and then gave up. Though Tucker was never going to beat out that ball in the first place, the presumed apathy from him did not sit well with the home crowd.

Here is the video (in which you can hear the audible boos from the Cubs faithful over Tucker’s lack of hustle).

Kyle Tucker was just boo’d after he grounded out to first and didn’t run to first base. pic.twitter.com/4jVhi9z5yK
— Cubs Zone (@CubsZone) August 17, 2025

Chicago did come back to win the game by a final score of 4-3, and it now sits at a superb 70-53 on the year. But Tucker, who is in his first year with the Cubs, continues to be a mixed bag for the team.

Tucker’s surface numbers look pretty strong. He is batting .265 with 18 home runs, 62 RBI and 25 stolen bases (good enough for the second-best WAR on the Cubs this season behind only Pete Crow-Armstrong). But Tucker has been slumping in the second half of the season (batting a miserable .198) and is struggling to win over the Chicago fan base right now.

After being acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Houston Astros last offseason, Tucker can become a free agent after the 2025 campaign. Unless the Cubs are willing to pony up to keep Tucker this offseason (with some reported estimates on his next contract exceeding $600 million), he might end up being an expensive one-year rental for the team (though Tucker has also made strong arguments in favor of an extension from Chicago).

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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