I have been relatively consistent in ranking Houston Astros star outfielder Kyle Tucker as a top-30 player in my ROS rankings. This is despite his prolonged absence. That is because it never felt like it would be a prolonged absence. Yet here we are two months removed from his last game. How exactly did we get here, and what can we expect from Tucker going forward?
Kyle Tucker was a first-round fantasy pick this season. Through the first two months of the season, he was having another elite fantasy campaign. Tucker played 60 of Houston’s first 61 games this season and had 19 home runs and 10 stolen bases. He also added 42 runs scored and 40 RBI. That would have put Tucker on a pace of about 110-45-105-25. And considering Tucker had only missed 41 games over the past four seasons, there was no reason to expect much less. That is why, when he fouled a ball off his shin on June 3, most of us did not think much of it. Especially after the x-rays came back negative.
After missing three games with what was described as a shin contusion, Houston put Tucker on the Injured List. I figured he would miss a week, maybe two weeks tops. That belief seemed to be fortified when Tucker ditched the crutches a couple of days after being placed on the IL. But by the time the 10 days were up, Tucker was still not ready to return. The next week or two was a string of “will he or won’t he” comments from management regarding Tucker’s resumption of baseball activities. Then on June 25, the team released a statement saying that Tucker was swinging off a tee and could run the bases “soon”. It seemed like the worst was over and Tucker would rejoin the team in short order. Or so we thought.
There was not much in the way of news surrounding Tucker’s return over the next week or so. Then on July 4, Houston announced that Tucker would be held out through the All-Star break. It was disappointing, but not overly alarming considering that the break was just over a week removed. Manager Joe Espada said a couple of days later that Tucker had resumed jogging. And a few days after that, he was playing catch at the ballpark. Then during the All-Star break, a report came out that Tucker had not resumed hitting and that the activities he was taking part in were light on-field activities. But a few days later, Tucker was performing intense defensive drills, including work in the outfield. Surely this was a step in the right direction, right? Well, about that…
There was not much news last week regarding Tucker’s status until the team transferred him to the 60-day IL on Tuesday. It felt like it was mostly a procedural move considering that Tucker had been out for 57 days at that point. However, when discussing a potential Tucker return on Saturday, Espada did not exactly inspire much confidence. He said that it would be “too aggressive” to say they’ll have him by the end of August.
When I was a kid, one of the older kids on our block threw a golf ball at us. It hit my brother in the shin, and he let out a wild wail. He rolled around like he had been shot, and his shin ballooned up with a huge welt. But since it was a contusion, my brother was back to normal in a couple of days. As I have stated many times, I am not a doctor, and I do not play one on TV or the internet. However, it seems like there is a lot more going on than a shin contusion. I don’t know if there was a misdiagnosis somewhere or what. But with the trade deadline gone in most fantasy leagues, managers relying on Kyle Tucker are kind of left holding the bag.
I dropped Tucker from 27th overall to 73rd overall in this week’s rest-of-season fantasy baseball rankings. And honestly, I have no idea if I dropped him far enough. If he comes back in the next few weeks, he can still make a big impact. Tucker is one of the best run producers in the game. Even if his ability to steal bases was wiped out, he can still be an elite fantasy player. However, your guess appears to be as good as mine as to when Tucker will return. In the meantime, keep it locked to our expert injury analyst Dave Funnell. He spends countless hours keeping everyone here updated on the latest injury news from around MLB.
Rest of Season Fantasy Baseball Rankings
| RANK | PLAYER | POS | TEAM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shohei Ohtani | UT | LAD | |
| 2 | Bobby Witt Jr. | SS | KC | |
| 3 | Aaron Judge | OF | NYY | |
| 4 | Juan Soto | OF | NYY | |
| 5 | José Ramírez | 3B | CLE | |
| 6 | Gunnar Henderson | SS/3B | BAL | |
| 7 | Elly De La Cruz | SS/3B | CIN | |
| 8 | Yordan Alvarez | OF | HOU | |
| 9 | Rafael Devers | 3B | BOS | |
| 10 | Trea Turner | SS | PHI | |
| 11 | Freddie Freeman | 1B | LAD | |
| 12 | Bryce Harper | 1B | PHI | |
| 13 | Zack Wheeler | SP | PHI | |
| 14 | Francisco Lindor | SS | NYM | |
| 15 | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | 1B | TOR | |
| 16 | Tarik Skubal | SP | DET | |
| 17 | Corey Seager | SS | TEX | |
| 18 | Austin Riley | 3B | ATL | |
| 19 | Matt Olson | 1B | ATL | |
| 20 | Pete Alonso | 1B | NYM | |
| 21 | Chris Sale | SP | ATL | |
| 22 | Corbin Burnes | SP | BAL | |
| 23 | George Kirby | SP | SEA | |
| 24 | Marcell Ozuna | UT | ATL | |
| 25 | Ketel Marte | 2B | ARI | |
| 26 | Aaron Nola | SP | PHI | |
| 27 | Emmanuel Clase | RP | CLE | |
| 28 | CJ Abrams | SS | WSH | |
| 29 | Joe Ryan | SP | MIN | |
| 30 | Paul Skenes | SP | PIT | |
| 31 | Jose Altuve | 2B | HOU | |
| 32 | Luis Castillo | SP | SEA | |
| 33 | Marcus Semien | 2B | TEX | |
| 34 | Logan Gilbert | SP | SEA | |
| 35 | Dylan Cease | SP | SD | |
| 36 | Pablo López | SP | MIN | |
| 37 | Jarren Duran | OF | BOS | |
| 38 | Tyler Glasnow | SP | LAD | |
| 39 | Jazz Chisholm | OF | NYY | |
| 40 | Logan Webb | SP | SF | |
| 41 | Freddy Peralta | SP | MIL | |
| 42 | Josh Hader | RP | HOU | |
| 43 | Zac Gallen | SP | ARI | |
| 44 | Gerrit Cole | SP | NYY | |
| 45 | Julio Rodriguez | OF | SEA | |
| 46 | Cole Ragans | SP | KC | |
| 47 | Josh Naylor | 1B | CLE | |
| 48 | Teoscar Hernández | OF | LAD | |
| 49 | Corbin Carroll | OF | ARI | |
| 50 | Kevin Gausman | SP | TOR | |
| 51 | Oneil Cruz | SS | PIT | |
| 52 | Randy Arozarena | OF | SEA | |
| 53 | Luis Robert | OF | CHW | |
| 54 | Manny Machado | 3B | SD | |
| 55 | Adolis Garcia | OF | TEX | |
| 56 | Sonny Gray | SP | STL | |
| 57 | Fernando Tatis Jr. | OF | SD | |
| 58 | Framber Valdez | SP | HOU | |
| 59 | Bryan Reynolds | OF | PIT | |
| 60 | William Contreras | C | MIL | |
| 61 | Alec Bohm | 1B/3B | PHI | |
| 62 | Kyle Schwarber | OF | PHI | |
| 63 | Shota Imanaga | SP | CHC | |
| 64 | Alex Bregman | 3B | HOU | |
| 65 | Justin Steele | SP | CHC | |
| 66 | Seiya Suzuki | OF | CHC | |
| 67 | Grayson Rodriguez | SP | BAL | |
| 68 | Lane Thomas | OF | CLE | |
| 69 | Tanner Bibee | SP | CLE | |
| 70 | Ezequiel Tovar | SS | COL | |
| 71 | Will Smith | C | LAD | |
| 72 | Raisel Iglesias | RP | ATL | |
| 73 | Kyle Tucker | OF | HOU | |
| 74 | Adley Rutschman | C | BAL | |
| 75 | Willy Adames | SS | MIL | |
| 76 | Blake Snell | SP | SF | |
| 77 | Royce Lewis | 3B | MIN | |
| 78 | Spencer Steer | 1B/3B/OF | CIN | |
| 79 | Anthony Santander | OF | BAL | |
| 80 | Edwin Díaz | RP | NYM | |
| 81 | Hunter Greene | SP | CIN | |
| 82 | Camilo Doval | RP | SF | |
| 83 | Max Fried | SP | ATL | |
| 84 | Christian Walker | 1B | ARI | |
| 85 | Paul Goldschmidt | 1B | STL | |
| 86 | Tyler O'Neill | OF | BOS | |
| 87 | Andres Munoz | RP | SEA | |
| 88 | Clay Holmes | RP | NYY | |
| 89 | Nico Hoerner | 2B/SS | CHC | |
| 90 | Carlos Rodón | SP | NYY | |
| 91 | Ryan Helsley | RP | STL | |
| 92 | Ian Happ | OF | CHC | |
| 93 | Jhoan Duran | RP | MIN | |
| 94 | Steven Kwan | OF | CLE | |
| 95 | Zach Eflin | SP | BAL | |
| 96 | Jack Flaherty | SP | LAD | |
| 97 | Brandon Nimmo | OF | NYM | |
| 98 | Andrés Giménez | 2B | CLE | |
| 99 | Jeremy Peña | SS | HOU | |
| 100 | Nick Castellanos | OF | PHI | |
| 101 | Riley Greene | OF | DET | |
| 102 | Bailey Ober | SP | MIN | |
| 103 | George Springer | OF | TOR | |
| 104 | Salvador Perez | C/1B | KC | |
| 105 | Bryson Stott | 2B/SS | PHI | |
| 106 | Tanner Houck | SP | BOS | |
| 107 | Taylor Ward | OF | LAA | |
| 108 | Nathan Eovaldi | SP | TEX | |
| 109 | Ha-seong Kim | 2B/SS/3B | SD | |
| 110 | Anthony Volpe | SS | NYY | |
| 111 | Vinnie Pasquantino | 1B | KC | |
| 112 | Cody Bellinger | 1B/OF | CHC | |
| 113 | Michael King | SP | SD | |
| 114 | Willson Contreras | C | STL | |
| 115 | Hunter Brown | SP | HOU | |
| 116 | Chris Bassitt | SP | TOR | |
| 117 | Garrett Crochet | SP | CHW | |
| 118 | Nick Pivetta | SP | BOS | |
| 119 | Wyatt Langford | OF | TEX | |
| 120 | Brenton Doyle | OF | COL | |
| 121 | Mason Miller | RP | OAK | |
| 122 | Taj Bradley | SP | TB | |
| 123 | Christopher Morel | 3B/OF | TB | |
| 124 | Robert Suarez | RP | SD | |
| 125 | Ranger Suarez | SP | PHI | |
| 126 | José Berríos | SP | TOR | |
| 127 | Ryan Mountcastle | 1B | BAL | |
| 128 | Matt Chapman | 3B | SF | |
| 129 | Craig Kimbrel | RP | BAL | |
| 130 | Ryan McMahon | 2B/3B | COL | |
| 131 | Nestor Cortes | SP | NYY | |
| 132 | Nolan Arenado | 3B | STL | |
| 133 | David Bednar | RP | PIT | |
| 134 | Evan Phillips | RP | LAD | |
| 135 | Luis Arraez | 1B/2B | SD | |
| 136 | Zach Neto | SS | LAA | |
| 137 | Bryce Miller | SP | SEA | |
| 138 | Dansby Swanson | SS | CHC | |
| 139 | Mitch Keller | SP | PIT | |
| 140 | Bo Bichette | SS | TOR | |
| 141 | Mookie Betts | 2B/SS/OF | LAD | |
| 142 | Jackson Chourio | OF | MIL | |
| 143 | Gleyber Torres | 2B | NYY | |
| 144 | Maikel Garcia | 2B/3B | KC | |
| 145 | Cristopher Sanchez | SP | PHI | |
| 146 | Yandy Díaz | 1B | TB | |
| 147 | Carlos Correa | SS | MIN | |
| 148 | Isaac Paredes | 1B/3B | CHC | |
| 149 | Max Scherzer | SP | TEX | |
| 150 | Jackson Merrill | SS/OF | SD | |
| 151 | Xander Bogaerts | 2B/SS | SD | |
| 152 | Brice Turang | 2B/SS | MIL | |
| 153 | J.T. Realmuto | C | PHI | |
| 154 | Alexis Diaz | RP | CIN | |
| 155 | Lourdes Gurriel Jr. | OF | ARI | |
| 156 | Luis Rengifo | 2B/SS/3B/OF | LAA | |
| 157 | Jonathan India | 2B | CIN | |
| 158 | Jorge Soler | OF | ATL | |
| 159 | Luis Gil | SP | NYY | |
| 160 | Christian Yelich | OF | MIL | |
| 161 | Yusei Kikuchi | SP | HOU | |
| 162 | Byron Buxton | OF | MIN | |
| 163 | Nick Lodolo | SP | CIN | |
| 164 | Rhys Hoskins | 1B | MIL | |
| 165 | Jeimer Candelario | 1B/3B | CIN | |
| 166 | Charlie Morton | SP | ATL | |
| 167 | Paul Sewald | RP | ARI | |
| 168 | Jake Cronenworth | 1B/2B | SD | |
| 169 | Seth Lugo | SP | KC | |
| 170 | Brent Rooker | OF | OAK | |
| 171 | Pete Fairbanks | RP | TB | |
| 172 | Cedric Mullins | OF | BAL | |
| 173 | Brandon Pfaadt | SP | ARI | |
| 174 | Reynaldo López | SP | ATL | |
| 175 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | SP | LAD | |
| 176 | Yainer Diaz | C | HOU | |
| 177 | Kenley Jansen | RP | BOS | |
| 178 | Michael Harris | OF | ATL | |
| 179 | Kirby Yates | RP | TEX | |
| 180 | Kutter Crawford | SP | BOS | |
| 181 | Devin Williams | RP | MIL | |
| 182 | Jake Burger | 1B/3B | MIA | |
| 183 | Nathaniel Lowe | 1B | TEX | |
| 184 | Daulton Varsho | OF | TOR | |
| 185 | James Wood | OF | WSH | |
| 186 | Justin Verlander | SP | HOU | |
| 187 | J.D. Martinez | UT | NYM | |
| 188 | Brayan Bello | SP | BOS | |
| 189 | Ronel Blanco | SP | HOU | |
| 190 | Bryan Woo | SP | SEA | |
| 191 | Logan O'Hoppe | C | LAA | |
| 192 | Jarred Kelenic | OF | ATL | |
| 193 | Cal Raleigh | C | SEA | |
| 194 | Ceddanne Rafaela | SS/OF | BOS | |
| 195 | Jurickson Profar | OF | SD | |
| 196 | Gavin Williams | SP | CLE | |
| 197 | Jared Jones | SP | PIT | |
| 198 | Ryan Pepiot | SP | TB | |
| 199 | Brendan Donovan | 2B/OF | STL | |
| 200 | Josh Jung | 3B | TEX | |
| 201 | Josh Lowe | OF | TB | |
| 202 | Masyn Winn | SS | STL | |
| 203 | Erick Fedde | SP | STL | |
| 204 | Kyle Finnegan | RP | WSH | |
| 205 | Luis Garcia | 2B | WSH | |
| 206 | TJ Friedl | OF | CIN | |
| 207 | Bobby Miller | SP | LAD | |
| 208 | Bryan De La Cruz | OF | PIT | |
| 209 | Mackenzie Gore | SP | WSH | |
| 210 | Ke'Bryan Hayes | 3B | PIT | |
| 211 | Lars Nootbaar | OF | STL | |
| 212 | Francisco Alvarez | C | NYM | |
| 213 | Brady Singer | SP | KC | |
| 214 | Aaron Civale | SP | MIL | |
| 215 | Triston Casas | 1B | BOS | |
| 216 | Alec Burleson | OF | STL | |
| 217 | Masataka Yoshida | OF | BOS | |
| 218 | Heliot Ramos | OF | SF | |
| 219 | Andrew Vaughn | 1B | CHW | |
| 220 | Luis Severino | SP | NYM | |
| 221 | Gavin Stone | SP | LAD | |
| 222 | Héctor Neris | RP | CHC | |
| 223 | Josh Bell | 1B | ARI | |
| 224 | Brendan Rodgers | 2B | COL | |
| 225 | Zack Gelof | 2B | OAK | |
| 226 | Carlos Estévez | RP | PHI | |
| 227 | Marcus Stroman | SP | NYY | |
| 228 | Ryan O'Hearn | 1B/OF | BAL | |
| 229 | Giancarlo Stanton | OF | NYY | |
| 230 | Tanner Scott | RP | SD | |
| 231 | Kyle Gibson | SP | STL | |
| 232 | Michael Busch | 1B/3B | CHC | |
| 233 | Noelvi Marte | 3B | CIN | |
| 234 | Joe Musgrove | SP | SD | |
| 235 | Joc Pederson | OF | ARI | |
| 236 | Jason Foley | RP | DET | |
| 237 | Mark Vientos | 3B | NYM | |
| 238 | Sean Manaea | SP | NYM | |
| 239 | Andrew Abbott | SP | CIN | |
| 240 | Brandon Marsh | OF | PHI | |
| 241 | Eloy Jimenez | UT | BAL | |
| 242 | Daniel Hudson | RP | LAD | |
| 243 | Shane Baz | SP | TB | |
| 244 | Jon Gray | SP | TEX | |
| 245 | Chad Green | RP | TOR | |
| 246 | Sean Murphy | C | ATL | |
| 247 | James McArthur | RP | KC | |
| 248 | José Alvarado | RP | PHI | |
| 249 | Leody Taveras | OF | TEX | |
| 250 | Wilyer Abreu | OF | BOS | |
| 251 | Yu Darvish | SP | SD | |
| 252 | Jo Adell | OF | LAA | |
| 253 | Nolan Jones | OF | COL | |
| 254 | Chas McCormick | OF | HOU | |
| 255 | Merrill Kelly | SP | ARI | |
| 256 | Michael Wacha | SP | KC | |
| 257 | Tommy Pham | OF | STL | |
| 258 | Jose Miranda | 3B | MIN | |
| 259 | Robbie Ray | SP | SF | |
| 260 | Jonah Heim | C | TEX | |
| 261 | Lawrence Butler | OF | OAK | |
| 262 | Willi Castro | 2B/SS/3B/OF | MIN | |
| 263 | Colton Cowser | OF | BAL | |
| 264 | Dean Kremer | SP | BAL | |
| 265 | Michael Massey | 2B | KC | |
| 266 | José Quintana | SP | NYM | |
| 267 | Jeffrey Springs | SP | TB | |
| 268 | Matt Vierling | 3B/OF | DET | |
| 269 | Miles Mikolas | SP | STL | |
| 270 | Justin Turner | 1B | SEA | |
| 271 | Gabriel Moreno | C | ARI | |
| 272 | Jordan Montgomery | SP | ARI | |
| 273 | Matt Waldron | SP | SD | |
| 274 | Nolan Gorman | 2B | STL | |
| 275 | Starling Marte | OF | NYM | |
| 276 | Xavier Edwards | 2B/SS | MIA | |
| 277 | Zack Littell | SP | TB | |
| 278 | Clayton Kershaw | SP | LAD | |
| 279 | Ryan Jeffers | C | MIN | |
| 280 | Lance Lynn | SP | STL | |
| 281 | Walker Buehler | SP | LAD | |
| 282 | Jake Fraley | OF | CIN | |
| 283 | Jake Irvin | SP | WSH | |
| 284 | Jameson Taillon | SP | CHC | |
| 285 | Michael Kopech | RP | LAD | |
| 286 | Eduardo Rodriguez | SP | ARI | |
| 287 | Keibert Ruiz | C | WSH | |
| 288 | Shea Langeliers | C | OAK | |
| 289 | David Hamilton | 2B/SS | BOS | |
| 290 | Max Kepler | OF | MIN | |
| 291 | Tyler Stephenson | C | CIN | |
| 292 | Andy Pages | OF | LAD | |
| 293 | Colt Keith | 2B/3B | DET | |
| 294 | Jose Siri | OF | TB | |
| 295 | Jeff McNeil | 2B/OF | NYM | |
| 296 | Ozzie Albies | 2B | ATL | |
| 297 | Jordan Westburg | 2B/3B | BAL | |
| 298 | Alex Cobb | SP | SF | |
| 299 | Eugenio Suárez | 3B | ARI | |
| 300 | Brandon Lowe | 2B | TB | |
| 301 | Josh Smith | SS/3B/OF | TEX | |
| 302 | Jeff Hoffman | RP | PHI | |
| 303 | Joey Ortiz | 2B/3B | MIL | |
| 304 | Tyler Fitzgerald | SS/OF | SF | |
| 305 | Matt Strahm | RP | PHI | |
| 306 | Michael Lorenzen | SP | KC | |
| 307 | Jesse Winker | OF | NYM | |
| 308 | Max Muncy | 3B | LAD | |
| 309 | Charlie Blackmon | OF | COL | |
| 310 | Evan Carter | OF | TEX | |
| 311 | Alex Vesia | RP | LAD | |
| 312 | Frankie Montas | SP | MIL | |
| 313 | Jacob deGrom | SP | TEX | |
| 314 | Tyler Anderson | SP | LAA | |
| 315 | Brooks Lee | SS/3B | MIN | |
| 316 | Andrew Heaney | SP | TEX | |
| 317 | Harrison Bader | OF | NYM | |
| 318 | Alex Verdugo | OF | NYY | |
| 319 | Nolan Schanuel | 1B | LAA | |
| 320 | Ben Lively | SP | CLE | |
| 321 | Jorge Polanco | 2B | SEA | |
| 322 | Sal Frelick | OF | MIL | |
| 323 | Brandon Drury | 1B/2B | LAA | |
| 324 | Kyle Harrison | SP | SF | |
| 325 | Juan Yepez | 1B/OF | WSH | |
| 326 | Connor Wong | C | BOS | |
| 327 | Orlando Arcia | SS | ATL | |
| 328 | Reid Detmers | SP | LAA | |
| 329 | Ben Rice | C/1B | NYY | |
| 330 | Edward Cabrera | SP | MIA | |
| 331 | Jason Adam | RP | SD | |
| 332 | Elias Diaz | C | COL | |
| 333 | Jose Caballero | 2B/SS | TB | |
| 334 | Jesus Luzardo | SP | MIA | |
| 335 | Alec Marsh | SP | KC | |
| 336 | Kris Bryant | 1B/OF | COL | |
| 337 | Kevin Ginkel | RP | ARI | |
| 338 | Tylor Megill | SP | NYM | |
| 339 | Tobias Myers | SP | MIL | |
| 340 | David Peterson | SP | NYM | |
| 341 | Reese Olsen | SP | DET | |
| 342 | Max Meyer | SP | MIA | |
| 343 | Ryne Nelson | SP | ARI | |
| 344 | Trevor Megill | RP | MIL | |
| 345 | Michael Toglia | 1B/OF | COL | |
| 346 | Bo Naylor | C | CLE | |
| 347 | David Robertson | RP | TEX | |
| 348 | Spencer Arrighetti | SP | HOU | |
| 349 | Scott Barlow | RP | CLE | |
| 350 | Trevor Rogers | SP | BAL | |
| 351 | JP Sears | SP | OAK | |
| 352 | Pete Crow-Armstrong | OF | CHC | |
| 353 | Davis Schneider | 2B/OF | TOR | |
| 354 | Simeon Woods Richardson | SP | MIN | |
| 355 | A.J. Puk | RP | ARI | |
| 356 | Kerry Carpenter | OF | DET | |
| 357 | Luke Weaver | RP | NYY | |
| 358 | Yennier Cano | RP | BAL | |
| 359 | Mitch Garver | C | SEA | |
| 360 | David Fry | C/1B/OF | CLE | |
| 361 | Garrett Cleavinger | RP | TB | |
| 362 | Spencer Schwellenbach | SP | ATL | |
| 363 | Coby Mayo | 3B | BAL | |
| 364 | Jackson Holliday | 2B/SS | BAL | |
| 365 | Jesus Sanchez | OF | MIA |