Sources — Cubs’ Tucker diagnosed in June with fracture in hand

CHICAGO — Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker was diagnosed in June with a hairline fracture in his right hand, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.

Tucker, 28, wanted to keep playing for the then-first-place Cubs, choosing against an IL stint as he compiled a .982 OPS that month. But his numbers have tanked since the beginning of July, leading to him getting several days off this week for a reset.

Tucker was injured while sliding into second base against the Cincinnati Reds on June 1. X-rays on his right finger were initially negative — the team indicated it was a jammed finger — but further imaging showed a slight fracture on the top of his hand, near where the pinky and ring finger meet, according to sources familiar with the imaging. Re-imaging done in mid-June showed the injury was healing, but it was still impacting Tucker who may have begun favoring his hand by then, leading to poor mechanics.

“There’s no question that when you look at his numbers, it’s had an impact on him, for sure,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said recently. “That’s the nature sometimes of these small injuries. They can do that.”

Tucker is hitting .189 with just four extra-base hits since July, and his ground-ball rate this month is an alarmingly high 54 percent. After going 0-for-4 on Monday, manager Craig Counsell indicated Tucker would get a few days off, though he is expected back in the lineup during the team’s upcoming west coast trip.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy even addressed the situation, saying during an appearance on the Cubs’ flagship radio station on Tuesday: “I think Tucker’s hurt. I don’t have any information, but Tucker’s not the same.”

Tucker has been asked repeatedly about the finger, choosing not to use it as an excuse.

“I’m fine,” Tucker said on Tuesday. “I’ve played, for the most part, every game this year. I’m fine going out there.”

Tucker started the year on fire, compiling an OPS of .931 with 20 stolen bases over the first three months of the season. He was named to his fourth All-Star Game, starting the midsummer classic for the first time in his eight-year career.

But hand injuries can be tricky, leading to games missed or swing issues, like the one Tucker is going through. His former teammate in Houston, Yordan Alvarez, has been out since early May due to a small fracture in his hand.

Tucker played upward of two months with one. He has been healthy for the majority of his career but missed time last season due to a shin fracture. He is set to become a free agent at year’s end. The Cubs are hoping the time off this week will help get him right for the stretch run of the season.

“At the start of this for me, it was going to be two days [off],” manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday afternoon. “We’ll go from there.”