Astros’ Kyle Tucker returns from the IL three months after a shin injury that was worse than the team admitted

The Houston Astros activated outfielder Kyle Tucker from the 60-day injured list on Friday, allowing him to make his first appearance since June 3. In related moves, the Astros sent infielder Zach Dezenzo to Triple-A Sugar Land and designated left-hander Parker Mushinski to open a spot on the 40-man roster. (Players on the 60-day injured list do not count as part of the 40-man roster.)

Tucker, 27, suffered his injury after fouling a ball against his right shin in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals. While the initial diagnosis described a contusion, Tucker admitted this week that later imaging revealed a fracture.

“After the swelling and everything else went down, further imaging studies showed that I had a small fracture in my tibia,” Tucker told MLB’s Brian McTaggart. “From then on, I just focused on my rehab.”

The club referred to Tucker’s injury as a “deep bone contusion” and “shin contusion” throughout most of his time on the IL. Just this week, general manager Dana Brown revealed to The Athletic that Tucker is recovering from a fracture.

“After several rounds of medical imaging, we suspect this is some type of small fracture,” Brown said. “As with all injuries of this nature, it takes some time after the fracture heals for the muscles around the leg to regain strength. Tuck has worked extremely hard to get back on the field and is now fortunately ready to help us in September and the postseason.”

Tucker was in the midst of a career season before his injury. In 60 games, he had a batting average of .266/.395/.584 (175 OPS+) with 19 home runs and 10 stolen bases. His contribution was worth an estimated 3.6 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball-Reference’s calculations. During his absence, he was nominated to the All-Star Game, the third time in his career he has received that honor.

The Astros have given at least four starts in right field to seven different players during Tucker’s absence, including new additions Jason Heyward and Ben Gamel. Although the Astros have struggled to replace Tucker’s production, they have improved their situation significantly during his absence. In fact, the Astros were seven games behind the Seattle Mariners in the American League West the night Tucker was out, yet he will return to an Astros team that entered Friday with a comfortable 4 1/2 game lead.