Kyle Tucker Injury: Dealing with fractured hand

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday that Tucker was diagnosed June 1 with a hairline fracture in his right hand and has continued to play through the injury, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Tucker was initially injured while sliding into second base in a June 1 win over the Reds. While X-rays on his right finger came back negative, further testing revealed a slight fracture on the top of his hand, where the pinky and ring finger meet. Tucker's fracture has shown healing, but president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer admitted the injury has affected the outfielder's performance. Since the start of July, Tucker is hitting .189 with just four extra-base hits. Tucker has been out of the lineup for three straight games, as manager Craig Counsell indicated the star right fielder would get a couple days off for a mental reset. Tucker doesn't look as though he'll need a stint on the IL since the hand injury will continue to be more of a pain-tolerance matter, but it helps explain his lagging production during the second half of the season.