Houston's Tucker at '95 percent,' yet to take swings following surgery

Preston Tucker's road to recovery is almost complete.

The Houston Astros left fielder told Jake Kaplan of The Houston Chronicle on Saturday that he feels "about 95 percent physically," but also added that he has yet to pick up a bat following season-ending surgery on his right shoulder.

"Once I start doing baseball stuff, I'll have two weeks until (Grapefruit League) games start," Tucker told Kaplan. "Ideally, I'd like to play in those. Realistically, I don't know. I guess I'll just have to see how my body adapts to it.

"I don't think it's going to take me too long to get back into the rhythm of swinging and everything, but I just want to make sure I'm 100 percent when I do it."

After a promising introduction to the big leagues in 2015, Tucker faced a woeful sophomore slump last season, culminating in shoulder surgery. The 26-year-old hit just .164/.222/.328 in 48 games last season, with just four homers and eight RBIs in 134 at-bats.