Craig Counsell's harsh message to Kyle Tucker will cost Cubs star more than playing time

The Chicago Cubs traded for Kyle Tucker hoping he'd be the superstar the team had lacked for years, and for the first half of the season, he was exactly that. He was in the thick of the NL MVP conversation and started for the National League in the All-Star Game. He was everything the Cubs could've asked for and then some.

Unfortunately, Tucker, alongside virtually every single one of his Cubs teammate, has struggled offensively lately. His struggles have gone on so long to the point where his manager, Craig Counsell, has had enough, and appears to be ready to give him more than one day of rest in a row.

Tucker is getting a chance to clear his head and reset. This is something Cubs fans have been eager to see for a while now, and Counsell is finally ready to oblige.

This won't be what Tucker, a fierce competitor, wants to happen, but it's hard to blame Counsell for going in this direction. Tucker has struggled for a while, and things have only gotten worse on the Cubs' current homestand. I mean, Tucker, a player who Cubs fans wanted Jed Hoyer to give a blank check to a month ago, was booed by those same fans after grounding out.

What's starting to feel abundantly clear is that Counsell's decision to bench Tucker for a couple of days will not only impact his playing time in the short-term — it'll impact his earning potential in the winter.

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Kyle Tucker is losing himself money every day slump persists

Tucker is a free agent at the end of the year, and while he was never going to make Juan Soto-type of money, he had a legitimate shot at getting around or potentially even above $500 million. He entered the year as one of the most well-rounded players in the game, and was only stepping his game up in Chicago. The script has flipped exponentially lately, and that will cost him.

Tucker entered Monday's action slashing .195/.333/.242 with one home run and 10 RBI in 37 games since July 1. His 77 WRC+ since that date is tied for 145th out of 171 qualified position players. He's now 8-for-54 in August without a single extra-base hit. It's one thing to struggle for a couple of weeks, but Tucker has been among the worst players in the sport for a month and a half now.

Tucker is going to make a lot of money this offseason, perhaps even with the Cubs, but it feels like the odds of him even getting to that $500 million mark get slimmer by the day as this slump drags on. Perhaps a couple of days off can get him going - Tucker and Cubs fans can only hope that's the case.

Craig Counsell deserves some blame for Kyle Tucker situation

To be clear, I do believe benching Tucker is the right move to make. Counsell acknowledged that he's frustrated, and that frustration is undoubtedly making it harder for him to play freely and to the best of his ability. With that being said, why did it take this long?

Counsell waited until it was well over a month to do anything regarding sitting Tucker for more than one game at a time. Counsell waited to the point where Tucker was booed by his home fans to finally give him a chance to clear his head, and now, the Cubs are without their superstar against the best team in the sport.

Tucker struggling for as long as he has is obviously inexcusable, but the Cubs manager could have, and should have, stepped in earlier. He waited until things got out of hand, and there isn't much of an excuse for that.