Astros surprisingly activate Kyle Tucker after ominous injury updates

For the last few months, the question of when the Houston Astros will finally get Kyle Tucker back from the injured list has loomed larger than any other. Before he suffered a serious shin injury, Tucker was on pace for a phenomenal season as he was slashing .266/.395/.584 with 19 homers and 10 stolen bases in just 60 games. If he played a full year at that pace, the 30/30 season he nearly achieved last year was very much in the cards.

Instead, Tucker's recovery stretched from weeks to months and updates were few and far between. We now know that the reason for his lengthy absence is because his shin was likely fractured, which made basically everyone wonder why it took so long to just, you know, say that.

Whatever reason for the subterfuge, the updates lately on Tucker have been much more positive. Then, on Friday, Tucker was activated from the injured list. To make room on the roster, Zach Dezenzo was optioned back to the minors and Parker Mushinski was designated for assignment.

Astros activate Kyle Tucker from IL, option Zach Dezenzo to the minors

Assuming Tucker is healthy and can knock the rust off quickly, this is a huge win for the Astros. Tucker is a difference-maker when he is on the field and can very much help turn the Astros' "feast or famine" offense around.

Optioning Dezenzo to the minors doesn't feel awesome, but it makes sense given he has minor league options and he's cooled off considerably since debuting in early August to the tune of a .212/.255/.308 line in his 55 plate appearances in the majors. Unfortunately, he is going to have to do better than that to stick around in the big leagues and just needs more time to refine his craft.

One thing to keep an eye on is how the Astros use Tucker initially. They have been very careful with him thus far, so don't be surprised if he sees time at DH, gets pulled late in games, or even gets days off here and there as he gets his legs under him. The last thing the team wants to do is for him to re-injure himself and be unavailable for the postseason.

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