HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The “King” has reentered the building.
On Friday, the Houston Astros announced they activated Kyle Tucker from the 60-day injured list and confirmed that the All-Star outfielder would be in the lineup when the club faces the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Astros said they optioned rookie infielder Zach Dezenzo to Triple-A Sugar Land and designated pitcher Parker Mushinski for assignment to make room for Tucker on the roster.
The 27-year-old’s return has been a long time coming since he went down with what was originally called a shin contusion on June 3 when a foul ball hit his leg while batting. What was initially labeled a weeks-long absence turned into three months. Tucker revealed this week that the team found a small fracture in his shin.
Since then, the Astros added veteran depth to the outfield, claiming former a New York Met, Ben Gamel, and signing Jason Heyward from free agency.
Before the injury, Tucker was cruising with 19 home runs and 40 runs batted in during his first 60 games, leading him to enter the American League MVP conversation. Despite the injury, Tucker earned his third All-Star nod in 2024.
Entering Friday’s series opener, Houston is 75-65 and 4.5 games up on Seattle for the AL West lead, with 22 games remaining.
