On Saturday, it was not broken. On Monday, it was. Three months after Kyle Tucker fouled a ball off his shin in consecutive games and was declared injured with a shin contusion, GM Dana Brown waffled on what the injury actually was in the first place first saying his right fielder’s leg was definitely not broken then, just two days later on Labor Day saying, yeah, it was probably broken.
Tucker, who was having an MVP-like season before shanking those balls off his leg, is close to returning and could make his first appearance off the bench as early as Thursday in Cincinnati, yet the rehab he has been doing this entire time has been clouded in mystery thanks to remarkably opaque injury reports from the Astros.
This isn’t new for the team. Since the days of former GM Jeff Lunhow, the team has guarded injury information like nuclear secrets. Former manager Dusty Baker frequently referred to HIPPA regulations (that’s not a thing) as a way to circumvent discussing injured players. Mostly what we have gotten is a party line response or a “no comment.”
The Astros do not provide access to medical or training staff for interviews. This isn’t uncommon necessarily, but the lengths they appear to go to protect medical information is, at times, extreme. Even the players often decline to go into detail, including Tucker who, for the first time over the weekend, spoke extensively about his leg and the fact that it, in fact, was broken, which would explain the extended absence.
The big question is why? We can only assume that much of it is a perceived competitive advantage, the idea that other teams having as little information about yours is a net positive. Some might be about shielding players from scrutiny, but as was the case with Tucker, speculation around a “deep bone bruise” was far greater than what fans and media might have said had we known his shin was actually broken.
We aren’t suggesting they start rolling out MRI and Xray results after every bump and bruise, or hold a panel discussion on the elbows of the starting pitchers with team physicians. But, not actively subverting the real diagnosis for a star player with an injury that keeps him out three months would be a solid start.
People are curious about their team and, in particular, their best players. Keeping them in the dark only invites rumor and innuendo. The Astros can stop that dead in their tracks without revealing every team secret. Not doing so is becoming increasingly foolish.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
