Kyle Tucker finally broke through. The Chicago Cubs outfielder ended his month-long power outage on Friday night with a Statcast-projected 405-foot home run in the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels. The solo shot to right field not only put the Cubs ahead early but also marked Tucker’s first extra-base hit since July 30 in Milwaukee.
For Tucker, the drought was a frustrating one. He had gone 25 games without a long ball, the second-longest homerless stretch of his career. The only longer dry spell came at the very start of his big-league journey, when he went 27 games without leaving the yard between 2018 and 2019 as a rookie with the Houston Astros.
This latest slump came during what has been an up-and-down first season in Chicago. After arriving in a blockbuster trade over the winter, Tucker initially looked every bit like the superstar the Cubs hoped for, posting a .931 OPS with 17 homers and 20 stolen bases through June. But his production dipped sharply over the past two months, leaving fans concerned — and even voicing their frustrations with boos at Wrigley Field earlier this week.
Kyle Tucker ends the home run drought, gives the Cubs the early lead
Manager Craig Counsell gave Tucker a few days off to reset after Monday’s rough outing against the Brewers, during which he went hitless and looked out of sync. On Thursday, Tucker returned to the lineup, and by Friday he rewarded that patience with a long-awaited blast.
Part of the context for Tucker’s struggles was revealed this week. Counsell confirmed that Tucker played through a hairline fracture in his right hand suffered back in June. Though the injury is now fully healed, it’s possible the lingering soreness contributed to his dip in performance. “Is it possible that playing through it changed some things? Yeah, absolutely,” Counsell admitted. “But he wanted to play.”
The numbers tell the story. Tucker was red-hot in June, slashing .311/.404/.578 with five homers and nine doubles. Once July began, however, his production cratered. He entered Friday with a .560 OPS since July 1 and no homers since July 19.
Counsell suggested Tucker used his recent time off to focus on mechanics and approach. “He’s trying things that are going to help,” the manager said. “This is where you target a couple things and grab some feels from those things. Then you go with a particular adjustment.”
The Cubs are hopeful Friday night’s swing is a sign that Tucker is trending back toward his true form. After all, he has been one of the most consistent stars in the game since 2021, producing at least 4.0 fWAR every season. He’s also set to be the headliner of this winter’s free-agent class, with industry insiders projecting a contract in the $400–500 million range.
For now, though, the Cubs will take any sign that their star is heating up again — and Tucker’s towering drive in Anaheim could be just what he needed to get rolling.
