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Cubs Manager Craig Counsell Explains Decision to Bench Kyle Tucker Amid Slump

Tucker's averages are significantly lower in August than they were at the beginning of the 2025 season.

Madison Williams

The Cubs are benching right fielder Kyle Tucker for a couple games.
The Cubs are benching right fielder Kyle Tucker for a couple games. / Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
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After the Cubs' first game of a doubleheader on Monday vs. the Brewers, Chicago manager Craig Counsell announced that right fielder Kyle Tucker would be benched for the next couple games, including Monday night's contest.

The decision was made after the Wrigley Field fans showed Tucker their frustration on Monday by booing him after his final three at-bats. Tucker's notably been in a slump the past month or so.

"The fans are frustrated, and Kyle is frustrated," Counsell said. "When you make outs, it doesn't look good. He's trying. It's just not clicking. We're going to have to take a step back here, just give him some days off to reset him, hopefully."

So far in August, Tucker is slashing .160/.250/.160, which is all significantly lower than the averages he posted in every other month this season. In June, for example, he posted .311/.404/.578. He's only had eight hits and one RBI in August.

Tucker hasn't hit a home run since July 19 (his only homer of July) after starting the year off with 17 homers through June. He seemed to be comfortable crushing the ball this season, and started out the season hitting four home runs in four consecutive games, a personal record for Tucker. Those highlights feel like a long time ago.

Something definitely needs to change for Tucker's game if he wants to help lead the Cubs to the postseason. The Cubs themselves are in a bit of a slump, as Chicago's only won seven of their 16 games in August so far. It doesn't help that the Brewers, their opponent this week and NL Central rival, continue to dominate with a league-best 79-45 record. The Cubs hold the first wild-card spot in the NL with a 70-54 record.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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