Cubs fans finally got the Kyle Tucker update they’ve been waiting for

The best version of the Chicago Cubs has a healthy, productive Kyle Tucker playing a big role. Given he hasn't played in a game in nearly three-and-a-half weeks, it remains to be seen what role, if any, he'll play when postseason play gets underway next Monday.

But, he'll look to check at least one of those off the list this weekend, when he's expected to return to the Cubs' starting lineup against the St. Louis Cardinals.

“Our goal for now is to be in the lineup Friday,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “I think we’re trending towards that. I don’t think the symptoms are going to be gone, but I think he’s in a place that he agrees we gotta go. We gotta see what it feels like to play.”

Kyle Tucker expected to DH for the Cubs on Friday against St. Louis

The plan, at least for Friday, is to have Tucker DH and could return to the outfield either Saturday and/or Sunday, the final two days of the regular season. That will give Counsell and the Cubs a better feel for what the Wild Card Series roster could look like.

The player who could be most impacted by Tucker's reintegration into the lineup, especially if he's limited to DH duties, is hot-hitting backstop Moises Ballesteros, who Counsell acknowledged is making a strong case for a postseason roster spot. He's been used exclusively as a designated hitter at the big-league level and has put up big numbers, but without a defensive home, this is definitely a situation to keep an eye on.

On the year, Tucker carries a .270/.381/.472 in 585 plate appearances, good for a 146 OPS+, which leads all Cubs hitters. That's despite a lengthy late-summer slump that eventually culminated in him being benched for part of a highly anticipated series against the rival Brewers last month. Then came the news that he'd played through a finger issue, which brought about a new round of finger-pointing over the handling of the injury.

It's been an eventful season for Tucker on the North Side - one that included a scorching hot first half and his fourth All-Star appearance, a second half swoon and everything in between. Now, the Cubs are hoping he's at 100 percent - or close to it - so he can write the (potential) last chapter of his tenure in Chicago: playing a large role in a deep October run.