HOUSTON — Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker has missed nearly three months with a fractured shin, sources briefed on the matter said, not a “deep bruise of the bone” or “shin contusion” as the club has called it since he went on the injured list.
Three people briefed on the matter told The Athletic that Tucker sustained a fracture of his shin. Asked twice on Saturday whether Tucker’s shin had a fracture, Astros general manager Dana Brown said it did not.
“After several rounds of medical imaging, we suspect there was some type of small fracture,” Brown said in a statement to The Athletic on Monday morning. “As with all injuries of this type, once the fracture heals it takes time for the muscles around the leg to regain strength. Tuck has worked extremely hard to get back on the field and thankfully is ready now to help us in September and in the postseason.”
Tucker’s agent, Jason Romano of Excel Sports Management, declined further comment on Monday afternoon.
Tucker has not played since fouling a ball off his right leg during a June 3 game against the St. Louis Cardinals — a 91-day absence that is nearing its conclusion. Tucker is taking live batting practice off minor-league pitchers, participating in outfield defensive drills and accompanied the Astros to Cincinnati for a three-game series that started on Monday.
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On Sunday, Brown told the team’s pregame radio show that Tucker could “potentially” return to Houston’s major-league roster on either Wednesday or Thursday, bypassing a minor-league rehab assignment entirely.
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