Cubs' Tucker played through fractured hand

Chicago Cubs star Kyle Tucker's second-half struggles might be explained by injury.

Tucker played through a hairline fracture in his right hand that was originally diagnosed in June, manager Craig Counsell confirmed Wednesday, according to ESPN's Jesse Rogers.

Counsell also noted that Tucker's hand is now fully healed.

The four-time All-Star initially sustained the injury on a slide during the Cubs' June 1 game against Cincinnati. He left that contest early with what the team called a jammed finger. However, follow-up X-rays revealed the fracture at the top of his right hand, sources told Rogers.

(Video source: MLB.com)

Tucker opted to play through the issue instead of being placed on the injured list, Rogers reports. He continued to be a consistent presence in the Cubs' lineup until this week, when his struggles prompted manager Craig Counsell to give him some time off.

"I'm fine," Tucker told Rogers on Tuesday. "I've played, for the most part, every game this year. I'm fine going out there."

On Thursday, Tucker elaborated that he didn't want to take time off because the injury wasn't impacting anything he could do on the field.

"I was doing fine and everything, still playing well," he added, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. "So, I was just like, 'I'm going to keep playing.' There wasn't really a need to go on an IL, because I could still do everything. It was more like a pain tolerance at that point rather than like I physically couldn't do anything."

Tucker was garnering NL MVP consideration during a red-hot first half that saw him be named an All-Star starter. However, the 28-year-old has fallen off since the break and has been one of the worst hitters in MLB during the second half.

The Cubs were in first place in the NL Central on June 1. Since then, Chicago has fallen six games back of Milwaukee in the division, although the team remains in a playoff position as the NL's top wild-card team.

Chicago acquired Tucker from the Houston Astros for three players last winter. He'll be a free agent this coming offseason.