It was an emotional night for Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker and reliever Ryan Pressly as they returned to Houston to take on their former team.
The Cubs landed Tucker from the Astros in a blockbuster deal over the winter that reshaped both franchises, with Chicago sending Isaac Paredes, Hayden Wesneski and top prospect Cam Smith to add a gamechanger to their lineup.
"We had a lot of success over there for however long," Tucker told MLB.com's Jordan Bastian earlier this week. "I had a lot of great years and great memories over there, so I’m looking forward to being back in Houston, and just kind of playing the series.”
Pressly joined the Cubs in a separate deal later in the offseason in an effort to shore up the Cubs' bullpen — and because he had lost the closer job to Josh Hader.
Tucker has made a huge splash in his new home, as he's hit 16 home runs with a slash line of .287/.395/.527 while continuing to provide value on the basepaths with 19 stolen bases.
The 28-year-old Tampa, Florida native broke into the Major Leagues with Houston in 2018, though he did not carve out a consistent full-time role until the 2020 campaign.
In 633 career games as an Astro, Tucker racked up 141 home runs, earned three all-star nods and finished fifth in American League MVP voting in 2022 when the team went on to win the second World Series championship in franchise history.
The Cubs were able to grab Tucker largely due to Houston's motivation to avoid losing him for nothing when he has the opportunity to test the open market as a free agency after this season.
Tucker and the Cubs have yet to work out a contract extension that would keep him in the Windy City beyond this year, though his performance certainly has Chicago eager to work out a deal if there is one to be had.
Pressly was a two-time All-Star for the Astros who helped then win the 2021 World Series. He saved 111 games in his seven seasons with Houston. With the Cubs, he has five saves and a 3.90 ERA in 32 appearances. He is in the final year of his contract.
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