Cubs Hoping They Avoided a Catastrophe

The Cubs won their sixth straight series on Sunday, beating the Reds 7-3, but the major news coming out of the game was Kyle Tucker's status. For now at least it appears as though the Cubs did avoid a catastrophe.

Tucker jammed his right ring finger in the first inning, when he was caught stealing second base. The top Cubs' hitter doubled and scored in the third inning and was then removed from the game after his fourth-inning at-bat. Backup Vidal Bruján ran out of the dugout and took over in right field to begin the fifth inning and panic suddenly spread throughout Wrigley Field.

I'm actually surprised that Tucker stayed in the game for as long as he did. In the first inning he was thrown out at second base, caught stealing for the first time since September 2023. Tucker slowly got up from the ground after he was tagged out and it turns out that he did suffer a bit of an injury.

The Cubs eventually revealed that Tucker jammed his right ring finger.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said he isn't too concerned moving forward regarding Tucker, but there's no doubt that there was at least some level of panic when Tucker exited the series finale against the Reds.

A finger injury may seem like a nothing burger, but even a minor structural issue could lead to major issues for a hitter. The Cubs have a day off on Monday and Tucker hopes that after the swelling goes down he'll be fine.

Some fans might think that headline may be a bit too dramatic, but it speaks to how important Tucker has been to the Cubs in 2025. After going 1-for-2, with a run scored on Sunday, Tucker is now slashing .284/.394/.524, with 12 home runs. His 154 wRC+ leads the Cubs and ranks No. 8 overall in the National League.

Not only has Tucker performed up to his level, but the rest of the lineup has collectively hit better as a group compared to the 2024 roster, which is primarily the same as this year's besides Tucker's addition.

2024 Cubs Offense Through June 1
94 wRC+ (21st)
4.3 fWAR (21st)
58 HR (17th)
255 R (14th)
.227 BA (26th)
.310 OBP (15th)
.371 SLG (22nd)

2025 Cubs Offense Through June 1
120 wRC+ (3rd)
13.8 fWAR (3rd)
80 HR (t-4th)
341 R (2nd)
.261 BA (2nd)
.336 OBP (3rd)
.447 SLG (3rd)

After two straight seasons of the Cubs stumbling during the month of May, the 2025 team has built up a four-game lead in the NL Central. Tucker has been a consistent presence for his new club and thanks to his star-power the Cubs are currently tied with the Mets for the best record in the National League at 37-22.

The Cubs have done an unbelievable job overcoming injuries to their pitching staff this year, but losing Tucker for any amount of time could be a huge gut punch. Fingers crossed that all is well with Tucker on Tuesday, when the Cubs begin a nine-game road trip.