Don’t look now but Astros are gearing up for another deep playoff run

It's June 18. The big bad Houston Astros are a whole 10 games back of the AL West division leading Seattle Mariners. A man by the name of Jonathan Cannon, who hadn't even reached the 10-start threshold at the major league level, tossed 8.2 scoreless innings for the lowly Chicago White Sox.

The club's most consistent hitter during the early parts of the campaign Kyle Tucker wasn't even participating in on field activities after injuring his shin in early June. It was the lowest of lows for the outfit from the Space City. It all looked to be heading toward a disaster. Was this run of ALCS appearances about to come to an end? Would the injuries do them in?

If you weren't already aware, the response to those two inquiries is very much no.

This is exactly why you can't come to conclusions in Major League Baseball until at least August (unless you're the White Sox). Houston is alive and well. It has been for quite some time. Since that series opening defeat to the South Siders, Houston has strung together a 48-29 record, all while posting the second best earned run average in baseball since the All-Star break.

Players stepped up to make that happen. The resurrection of its offense, combined with dominant pitching in the rotation (led predominantly by Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez) and out of the bullpen has put Houston in prime position for another potential return to the ALCS.

Joe Espada and company are gaining momentum, sparked by the long-awaited return of the reigning American League RBI leader. This timely reintroduction could be the catalyst that propels this experienced powerhouse toward a strong finish to the season.

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Kyle Tucker is just warming up post-injury, with the postseason right around the corner

In the opener against the Los Angeles Angles, Tucker finally returned to Houston's outfield. And in his second game as a non-designated hitter since his return, he clubbed his first home run in 106 days. During September, the 27-year-old left-handed hitter has collected six hits in 24 at-bats. He's still adjusting to game speed, having skipped a minor league rehab assignment before rejoining the team.

He has recorded a run scored or a hit in 62.5 percent of the games this month, barring in mind it's a small sample size. This is only the start though. Tucker is just beginning rev his engines.

“It all feels fine, pitch selection, timing and everything,” Tucker said via the Houston Chronicle. “Swing has felt hit-or-miss lately. But that kind of just comes with however many at-bats and games that you play anyways.”

Before he went down against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Florida native was slashing .266/.395/.584, good for a .979 OPS. They aren't just getting back your average Joe from across the street. We all know that. Tucker, arguably one of the most underrated players in all of baseball, is back. And so are his clutch genes. The left handed hitter has mashed .309 in high leverage spots throughout his career and owns a .915 OPS in late or close games.

The Florida native will spend the final few games of the season continuing to get his feet wet again, both in the box and in the outfield. There is going to be a little bit of an adjustment period, which was shown in his most recent contest where he punched out three times in four plate appearances.

He'll continue to make strides post-injury in this intriguing series coming up against the 85-65 San Diego Padres in Southern California.