Kyle Tucker ordeal shines ugly light on Cubs’ latest self-inflicted mess

If nothing else, the Chicago Cubs finally have a plan in place as they attempt to get Kyle Tucker's season back on track. The plan will include Tucker having several days off, and if Owen Caissie continues his heater, it's hard to argue with the immediate results. At the center of the mess that has become Tucker's slump is an issue that has plagued the Cubs well before the All-Star outfielder's arrival in Chicago.

The immediate look back is last season, when throughout the 2024 season, it seemed clear that Dansby Swanson was playing through an injury. Like Tucker, Swanson had a months-long slump, and in the field, the veteran shortstop's plays didn't look as clean as they did during his first season in Chicago. Injury concerns were downplayed for Swanson until the offseason, when it was revealed he underwent core surgery.

Considering Swanson's surgery was not revealed until December, there were questions that went unanswered. The biggest question is why the Cubs avoid the IL when their core players suffer an injury. The theory, and one the Cubs' front office will use, is that they are a better team with a player like Swanson or Tucker at 75 percent than they are with a replacement player at 100 percent. The results in the field didn't support that with Swanson last season, and they certainly haven't supported that with Tucker since the beginning of July.

Kyle Tucker drama may prove Cubs made the same old mistake again

It's hard to know if this is a Craig Counsell approach to handling injuries or a Jed Hoyer approach. Both were adamant that Tucker would continue to play through his slump, even hours before the decision was made that Tucker needed some time off.

Regardless, it's a philosophy that needs to change. In a world where Hoyer actually constructed a competent bench during the offseason, perhaps it would have been an easier decision to IL Tucker in July. Instead, they waited, and there's no guarantee that the Tucker the Cubs had at the start of the season is the Tucker they will get when he returns to the starting lineup. Not the greatest of situations for a team that may be a superstar short of being a legitimate contender next season.

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