CHICAGO — Kyle Tucker believes his left calf feels better.

But that doesn’t mean the veteran right fielder is ready to fully jump back into the Cubs’ lineup.

“I feel a little bit better,” Tucker said Tuesday afternoon in the home dugout at Wrigley Field. “Whether that’s just a couple extra days or whatever extra treatment stuff I’ve been able to do, the rehab stuff. So, feeling good.

“Obviously, there’s probably a few more boxes I got to check off before everyone’s comfortable with me going out there with myself, the coaching staff, training staff and everyone. So, just got to work through that the next couple of days and try and get back out there as soon as possible.”

Tucker ran Monday in Tampa, Fla., for the first time since before the Cubs left for their seven-game, eight-day road trip on Sept. 14. He ran on the bases again Tuesday as he continues his recovery from an injury he suffered Sept. 2 against the Atlanta Braves.

“Touched the bases lightly today, so I think we’ve made progress for sure,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “We’re going to treat this day-to-day as much as we can, and just try to keep having good days. There is a time urgency here. There’s no question about it.

“But we just want to keep having good days, and we feel like we’ve had a couple of good days and see where that brings us tomorrow.”

Tucker and the Cubs are up against it with the NL Wild Card Series beginning in exactly one week. After Tuesday’s opener against the New York Mets, there’ll be just five games for the right fielder to get in some game action.

Tucker believes he can get back into a groove before the playoffs, no matter how many at-bats he has before the end of the regular season.

“I mean, even when you are playing every single day, you never know if you’re going to have a good or bad day,” Tucker said. “Obviously, you go out there expecting to get a hit every single time you’re at the plate, but it’s not always going to be like that.

“For the most part, I think it’s more of like a mental thing. I mean, if I can stay mentally locked and feel comfortable and get at least a few at-bats and stuff in there, I’ll be fine.”

Tucker left the team last Wednesday in Pittsburgh, traveling to Tampa to receive treatment from physical therapist Jeremy Maddox, whom he has worked with in the past.

The slugger is from Tampa and works with the PT group in the offseason. He also visited them for treatment last year while with the Houston Astros, as he recovered from a shin fracture that caused him to miss most of the season.

Tucker worked on hip and ankle mobility, calf raises and extra running motions to try and return to the field.

“I was just looking to try and find some way to try and get back as soon as possible,” Tucker said. “So, I just brought that up as an option. Obviously, with it being a road trip and it being at the end of the season, figured that might be an option to try and do that. Just try and work with some guys that I’ve known for 10 years and probably know my body better than I do. It was good. Excited to be back here.”

Daniel Palencia update

Cubs closer Daniel Palencia (right shoulder strain) could be back on the Cubs’ roster sometime during the Mets series.

“He’s going to be activated here very soon, today or tomorrow,” Counsell said Tuesday. “Likely tomorrow.”

The flamethrower left a Sept. 7 loss to the Washington Nationals with shoulder discomfort. He landed on the injured list one day later and is eligible to come off as soon as he is healthy. He was not activated before Tuesday’s series opener, but he could be a factor over the final five games.

That’s a big boost for the Cubs’ bullpen as the playoffs near.

“I think what’s important for Danny is that we get him outings on somewhat of a little bit of a schedule when we get him activated here,” Counsell said. “So, that’s the most important thing is to get him outings.

“But I don’t think at this point we’re going to focus on when the outings come, it’s like we got to get him outings, and we got to get probably some rest and things like that. So, we’re going to prioritize just getting him on the mound.”