USA; Houston Astros designated hitter Kyle Tucker (30) runs to first base after hitting a single against the Minnesota Twins during the third inning at Minute Maid Park. 

The return of Houston Astros right fielder from an bruised right shin has taken much longer than anyone suspected when he first suffered it in early June.

Now, The Athletic reports that the Astros suspect that Tucker had a more serious injury than was originally thought.

Since Tucker fouled a baseball off his right shin against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 3, the team has officially called it a right shin contusion. That is how it is listed on he official injury report.

On Monday, Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown released a statement to The Athletic confirming that Tucker had a fracture.

“After several rounds of medical imaging, we suspect there was some type of small fracture,” Brown said. “As with all injuries of this type, once the fracture heals it takes time for the muscles around the leg to regain strength. Tuck has worked extremely hard to get back on the field and thankfully is ready now to help us in September and in the postseason.”

Curiously, the site reported that Brown was asked twice on Saturday if Tucker suffered any kind of fracture and Brown said no both times. The Athletic cited three people briefed on the situation who confirmed that Tucker sustained a fracture.

This would explain why he has needed so long to recover from an injury the Astros thought wouldn’t even put him on the injured list when he first suffered it.

Tucker is nearing a return to the lineup. He took live batting practice for the second time in three days on Sunday at Minute Maid Park. He has been sprinting in the outfield recently and still needs to run sprints around the bases before he can be declared a full-go.

It was enough to encourage manager Joe Espada, to the point where he told MLB.com and other reporters that they are considering carrying Tucker with them to Cincinnati for a road trip that starts on Monday.

Brown said on the Astros’ pre-game radio show that Tucker could bypass a minor-league assignment and be activated as early as Wednesday.

When the 27-year-old right fielder went on the IL he was slashing .266/.395/.584/.979 with 19 home runs and 40 RBI. At the time his .979 OPS was fourth in the Majors behind Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Marcell Ozuna. He was second in the AL with 46 walks and third with a .584 slugging percentage. He also had more walks than strikeouts (41) at the plate.