Cubs' Craig Counsell Announces Kyle Tucker Update After Absence From Lineup originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Kyle Tucker is in his first season with the Chicago Cubs after a blockbuster offseason trade that concluded his seven-year stint with the Houston Astros.

Two words. That’s all it took for Kyle Tucker to deflate any hope Chicago Cubs fans may have had that a winning season would be enough to keep him in Chicago for the long haul. When the Cubs made the stunning trade for Tucker last December,

Midway through the season, how one GM reflected on the Kyle Tucker offseason trade from the Astros to the Cubs.

The Chicago Cubs took a big and somewhat risky swing this past winter and it has paid off. The team decided to deal Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees and bring in Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros as a replacement, trading away players with several years of control ahead on their contracts for the pending free agent.

The division lead is down to one game after Friday's lackluster 11-0 loss in the Bronx, but no one around the Cubs is panicking.

This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter, with David Adler filling in for this edition. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

This affiliate content is not influenced by our advertising relationships, but AP and Data Skrive might earn commissions from our partners’ links in this content.

Tucker (knee) is batting second and playing right field Friday against the White Sox. Tucker fouled a ball off his right knee Tuesday and sat out Wednesday's contest due to the issue. However, he's back in the starting nine for Friday's series opener. The 28-year-old is slashing .275/.383/.493 in 441 plate appearances this season.

While both sides seek the perfect compromise, they need to look no further than the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros for the ideal trade. These two teams pulled off the perfect trade in December, and seven months later would each do it again in a heartbeat.

Preview the July 23 matchup between the Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Royals with odds over/under, game spread, betting lines and more.