MWL notes: Tucker in familiar territory

On a steamy June afternoon in Iowa, Astros prospect Kyle Tucker ran across left field, center field and right field as part of his rehab for a strained hip flexor that has him on the seven-day disabled list.

It's all familiar territory for Tucker, who played center field, right field, left field, center field and then left field again in five consecutive appearances during a week in late May.

Tucker, a first-round pick in the 2015 Draft, is a 6-foot-4, 190-pound left-handed batter who signed with the Astros for a $4 million signing bonus. The younger brother of the Astros' Preston Tucker as well as the organization's No. 4 prospect, he is smacking Midwest League pitching at a .306 clip with a homer, four triples, 12 doubles and 32 RBIs. Despite seven days on the DL, he still shares the Midwest League lead -- with Fort Wayne's Michael Gettys -- with 23 stolen bases.

When Tucker returns to the field, he will still be in an outfield rotation that has him covering all fields.

"I'm fine with playing anywhere in the outfield," Tucker said. "Before pro ball, I mainly played center. That's where I played in high school. Last year, I played mainly right field. This year, they've divided it up more. Each outfielder plays each position to gain more experience at each position. I've been playing more center this year, and I'm more comfortable with that."

Tucker said he is open to the versatility that the Astros are looking for and understands that it's an important part of development that has to occur in the early stages of pro ball, despite the challenges.

"As you get older, you tend to stay in one position, for the most part," Tucker said. "It can be a little tough to play four or five games in left, and then you have to go play right for a few games, and then go play center. You don't get those looks that are consistent. But that's why it's important to get your work in, so nothing surprises you during a game. That's just the way [the Astros] want it, so each outfielder is comfortable in each position."

Quad Cities manager Omar Lopez said Tucker is a plus-player in all three positions in the outfield, but that he excels in center field in particular.

"Kyle has so much ability, he can play all three positions in the outfield very well," Lopez said. "He has the perfect package, the perfect tools to be in center field. The routes are an area he's really been progressing in.

"In the beginning, he struggled with routes and jumps and reading the ball off the bat," Lopez continued. "He's put in a lot of work in practice to improve in that area. He's playing more games in center field, so he's gaining experience, and that will help him a lot. He's working hard to become the complete package in the outfield. He has the arm, the speed, the legs, and obviously for his age that you don't see very often, is his accuracy when he throws to the bases."

Tucker said each of the River Bandits' outfielders puts in early work to make sure they are ready for the reads they will need to make while playing their positions on a particular day.

"Right field, the ball is going to tail a little more to the right-field line, left field, to the left-field line, and center is a little more straight up," Tucker said. "If you're playing right, you get used to the tail to the right. When you're in left, you adjust that way. That's why you take time to get the jumps and the reads in BP."

Tucker suffered the strained hip flexor trying to steal second, and then aggravated it while making a diving catch in center. He last played on June 9.

"It's been tough, having to get taken out in the middle of a game," Tucker said. "I'm used to playing a lot, and then I have to sit the bench for a week. But I've taken this as a period of time to rest and watch the games and pick up some things that can help me when I get back."

Lopez said Tucker has a maturity beyond his years.

"Kyle has game awareness and great baseball knowledge, and he probably gained a lot of insights from watching his brother," Lopez said. "[Kyle] is really off the charts in terms of his baseball IQ. He has great instincts and knows how to play the game. He's smart on the bases. He has all the tools you want. Obviously, he has room to improve, but that will come with experience, and the organization has a lot of good coaches who will work with him to help him develop."

In brief

Putting up zeros: Clinton LumberKings pitcher Zack Littell has pitched 14 straight scoreless innings. In back-to-back starts, Littell went six scoreless innings against Wisconsin and eight scoreless frames against Beloit. In his most recent start, he struck out nine Wisconsin batters over eight frames, allowing three hits. He also picked off two runners.

Cubbie fever: South Bend is ranked in the top 10 in merchandise sales among all 160 Minor League teams, according to Minor League Baseball. In its first month as a Cubs affiliate last year, South Bend sold more team merchandise than it did the previous two years combined, when the team was known as the Silver Hawks. According to the Cubs, their apparel has been purchased as far away as New Zealand and Sweden.

Home homer: It took until their 28th home game, but the West Michigan Whitecaps finally went yard in their own ballpark. Cam Gibson hit the Whitecaps' first homer of the season at their home field Friday, ending a drought of 897 home at-bats without a long ball. Gibson's blast led the Whitecaps to an 11-3 victory over Lansing.