Before Wednesday’s 4-3 win over the Brewers, Cubs manager Craig Counsell revealed that Kyle Tucker was using his time off to get his mechanics back in order as he looks to regain his rhythm. The 28-year-old was benched for three straight after his production fell apart badly. He did have a hot June, slashing .311/.404/.578 with five homers and nine doubles. His slash line had dipped to .189/.325/.235 with just one home run and 10 RBI in July. It wasn’t normal for a player of Tucker’s caliber to fall off so drastically.

Even opponents could sense something wasn’t right. Brewers manager Pat Murphy publicly speculated, “I think Tucker is hurt. I don’t have any information, but Tucker’s not the same. He’s hurt, and he’s playing through it. He’s such a class kid that he probably doesn’t mention it to anyone.” Turns out, it’s true.

As per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, Tucker has been quietly playing through a hairline fracture in his right hand. He was injured back on June 1 when he slid into second base in a game against the Cincinnati Reds. Despite the fracture, he powered through that month.

Let’s not forget he was recently ranked as the top player to hit the free agency market, per The Athletic’s Jim Bowden. It was projected that he will earn a deal worth somewhere between $500 million and $650 million. He could be the highest paid player among all free agents.

In a contract year, Tucker could have chosen the prudent path: resting to fully heal his injury and then entering the offseason as a healthy free agent to pursue the highest possible offer. Instead, he chose to risk his health and production to stay on the field for the Cubs, which resulted in a significant slump and the worst performance of his career.

It took over two months to understand why Tucker’s bat went cold. He was even booed during a recent game against the Pirates. For Cubs fans, the revelation is both frustrating and relieving.

Later Counsell also confirmed Tucker’s injury, backing up Murphy’s early speculation. “I think we had an off day; Tucker sat out a day and pinch-hit the next day. He was kind of sore, but then good to go. He was sore for a little while but was able to play,” Counsell said.

After some more imaging, it showed a small fracture that was healing. When asked if Tucker’s hand entirely healed, he said, “Oh, yeah, absolutely.” Counsell appeared to suggest that Tucker could now be nearing his return. However, they will stay cautious about his return.

Cubs’ risky bet on a Kyle Tucker

Tucker’s struggles reached a new low in mid-August before being held back from consecutive games against the Brewers. He went hitless in Monday’s loss, dropping into a 2-for-25 skid.

Across his last six games, he has managed just two hits and four strikeouts in 22 at-bats. The Cubs nation couldn’t sit well with the outfielder’s struggles. He was rained with relentless boos, but that time, fans didn’t know about the fracture diagnosis. David Samson even called out the Cubs faithful for booing Tucker.

This month he has hit only .148 with no extra base hits and a .381 OPS. He hadn’t hit any home runs since July 19, and his ground ball rate climbed to unusually high for a hitter of his caliber.

When he was asked on Tuesday about how he is playing through lingering injury issues, he said, “I don’t really think it matters how I feel or what I think,” clearly downplaying it. He emphasized further that as long as he goes out there and helps the Cubs win, that’s all that matters to him. He insisted on feeling “fine” health-wise. However, that doesn’t erase the lasting effects of the June hand fracture.

He was still performing high while playing through the injury in June. After exiting the game on June 1, he returned as a pinch hitter on June 4 against the Washington Nationals. In the next 22 games he played, his batting average sat at .313 with five home runs, seven doubles, 13 RBIs and .985 OPS. Now with free agency on the horizon and a contract projected to reach historic heights, Tucker’s return is awaited.