Astros' schedule lays out Kyle Tucker's first shot at revenge post-trade

The Houston Astros recently agreed to trade star outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs. The move, which was quite surprising, gives Tucker a fresh start with a team that is seemingly looking to compete in 2025. Of course, Houston is fresh off a postseason appearance, but their future is now uncertain given Tucker's absence and Alex Bregman's free agency. When will Tucker and the Cubs play the Astros in Houston during the 2025 season?

Tucker will have to wait until late June to get revenge on his former ball club. The Cubs will play the Astros on the road in a three-game series, beginning on Friday, June 27. The June 27-29 weekend series will surely draw no shortage of fans. After all, Tucker, despite being extremely underrated, emerged as one of MLB's best players during his time in Houston.

Astros Schedule: Kyle Tucker's career in Houston comes full circle

Tucker, 27, made his MLB debut with the Astros in 2018. The left-handed slugger appeared in only 28 big league games that season, though. After playing in 22 games in 2019, Tucker enjoyed a breakout year of sorts during the shortened 2020 campaign.

In 2020, Tucker hit nine home runs and recorded an .837 OPS across 58 games played, which were respectable numbers in the 60-game season. In 2021, however, Tucker proved his 2020 season was no fluke. In fact, he took a massive step forward.

The Astros outfielder ended up slashing .294/.359/.557/.917 in 140 games played. He added 30 home runs, 37 doubles, 97 RBI and 14 stolen bases. Despite failing to make the All-Star team, it had become clear that Tucker was a star.

Tucker began to receive more recognition around the league in 2022. He ended up earning an All-Star game selection. Tucker also played a role in helping the Astros win the '22 World Series.

He went on to earn his second and third career All-Star selections in 2023 and 2024. However, Tucker was limited to just 78 games played during the '24 campaign. When he wasn't dealing with injury trouble, though, he was nearly unstoppable. Tucker recorded an attention-catching .993 OPS while still crushing 23 home runs in only 339 plate appearances.

Kyle Tucker set to join Cubs

Tucker has just one year of team control remaining on his contract. As a result, the Astros made the decision to deal him away this offseason. Now Tucker is set to join a new ball club.

The Cubs endured a rather mediocre season in 2024. They finished the year with an 83-79 record. Chicago seemingly wants to compete in 2025, something that became especially apparent with the Tucker trade. With plenty of outfield depth, attention has now shifted to a possible Cody Bellinger deal.

The Cubs could add further depth at other positions by moving Bellinger. He opted into his 2025 deal with Chicago, and Bellinger has a $25 million player option for 2026 as well. Given his ceiling, Bellinger will likely receive trade interest, something that should help the Cubs build a winning team around Tucker.

Tucker's primary goal will be to help the Cubs make a postseason run in 2025. With that being said, one has to imagine he has the June 27-29 dates circled on his calendar.