Weighing a potential future with the Cubs, Kyle Tucker reflects on his Astros' tenure

It's a matchup of two first-place teams this weekend in Houston, with the Chicago Cubs visiting the Houston Astros for a three-game set at Daikin Park. But that's not the story on everybody's mind: it's the return of three-time All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker, who spent the better part of a decade calling Houston home.

The Cubs acquired Tucker in an offseason blockbuster, sending top prospect Cam Smith, right-hander Hayden Wesneski and third baseman Isaac Paredes to Houston in return. Wesneski is done for the year because of injury, Paredes is loving his new digs and Smith has settled in nicely after some early-season rookie struggles.

It'll be an emotional moment for Tucker, the Astros' first-round pick in the 2015 MLB Draft.

“It’ll be fun. It’ll be a good experience,” Tucker told MLB.com. “Obviously, the first time back, so it’ll be cool to see the guys and catch up with them. But, we’re also there to play against them, so I’m a little more focused on that.”

The trade has been a massive win for Chicago, with Tucker putting up monster numbers as the All-Star break approaches and he nears a fourth consecutive Midsummer Classic nod. He entered Thursday afternoon's series finale in St. Louis leading the Cubs in batting average, hits and on-base percentage, already close to joining teammate Pete Crow-Armstrong in the 20/20 club.

Cubs, Kyle Tucker keeping quiet on any contract extension conversations

Tucker's staying quiet on any potential in-season extension talks between his camp and Jed Hoyer. Locking him up before he can test the open market this winter would be a best-case scenario for the Cubs, but is probably wishful thinking barring an offer that blows him away, which isn't exactly this front office and ownership group's M.O.

“We’re just going to keep that between us. If anything happens, I’m sure you guys will know.”

During his time in Houston, Tucker was an integral part of the closest thing baseball has seen to a dynasty since the late 90s-early 2000s New York Yankees. He reached three World Series with the team, helping Houston win it all in 2022, slugging .524 in the series against Philadelphia, also winning a Gold Glove Award for his work in right field that season.

The Cubs are hoping to build that same type of sustained winning culture in Wrigleyville after a multi-year rebuild - and they'll come a lot closer to realizing that goal if they can team up Tucker with Crow-Armstrong for years to come. But, at least for this weekend, it's a nice opportunity for him to appreciate the journey to this point and, hopefully, make the Astros realize what they're missing with a big showing.