Just a couple of weeks ago, we were talking about how Kyle Tucker could be using the enormous Vladimir Guerrero Jr. contract extension as leverage to receive a massive deal of his own from the Chicago Cubs. But Tucker has recently started to show his human side, and as a result, his club suddenly finds itself in an NL Central dogfight with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Tucker’s slump has come at the worst possible time, as St. Louis Cardinals have won 10 of their last 11 games and now sit just one game behind the Cubs in the division standings. Chicago has been carried by its offense thus far, and it will need Tucker to turn things around soon if it wants to keep the good vibes going for the rest of the summer and get back to the postseason for the first time since 2020.
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Kyle Tucker’s red-hot bat has gone ice cold for Chicago
Within the first two weeks of the season, it seemed very apparent that the Cubs won their blockbuster trade with the Houston Astros. By no means should the Cubs be regretting that deal now because of Tucker’s recent slump, but it has shown that he is human, and they cannot expect him to stay on his historic pace for a full 162 games.
This recent stretch has also shown how valuable Tucker is to the Cubs. Chicago is 4-6 in their last 10 games and over that stretch, Tucker is just 7-for-37 (.189). After showing immense power at the start of the year, Tucker has just one long ball over that span and just three runs batted in.
If there is one positive for the Cubs to focus on during Tucker’s first slump with the club, it is that he is still being selective at the plate and is displaying a high level of pitch recognition; he’s taken six walks over his last 10 games and has only struck out five times during that span.
No one, not even the Cubs, expect Tucker to keep mashing like he had been in April, but his slump has come at the worst possible time. With the Cardinals red-hot and the Milwaukee Brewers always lurking in the NL Central standings, the Cubs will need to have Tucker return to form or someone pick up some slack very soon. Injuries have taken their toll on this rotation, and Tucker is the tip of the spear of an offense that’s going to have to slug its way to October.
