Houston Astros activated Kyle Tucker off the 60-day injured list

HOUSTON – Kyle Tucker was instantly inserted into the lineup, batting 4th, but will not play the field. The Astros star right fielder has been out since June 3 after fouling a ball off his shin.

Tucker has missed nearly three months after sustaining a deep bone bruise. He also had a slight fracture on the backside of the bone, GM Dana Brown said this week.

Before his injury, Tucker was having an MVP-caliber start to the season, hitting 19 home runs in just 60 games with a .979 OPS. His OPS+ of 175, showed he was hitting 75% above league average. Tucker accumulated 3.6 Wins Above Replacement per Baseball-Reference.

As a result of his activation, the Astros optioned infielder Zach Dezenzo to Triple-A Sugar Land, and designated left-handed pitcher Parker Mushinski for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot.