PITTSBURGH — Kyle Tucker won’t be coming off the injured list on Tuesday, when he’s first eligible to do so.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell had already hinted at that last week, but it doesn’t feel like the slugger will be activated in the days after tomorrow, either.

“It’s not really where I want it to be, which isn’t ideal,” Tucker said Monday afternoon, before the Cubs’ series opener against the Pirates. “I’m just trying to get back to feeling at least as close to game-ready as possible to get out there. Really all I want to do is just play baseball.”

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Tucker did some running pregame, but pain in his left calf persisted. That’s been the final hurdle he’s needed to clear, as he’s continued hitting and throwing during his time off.

He originally suffered the injury on Sept. 2 in a contest at Wrigley Field against the Atlanta Braves. He sat out a few days as the Cubs tried to see if he could return without an IL stint.

The pain persisted and the Cubs eventually made the decision to place him on the 10-day IL. Counsell said during the last homestand that Tucker would have the weekend off from running and then do some in Pittsburgh to determine where he was at.

“Not much progress, frankly,” Counsell said. “We’ll kind of just go day-to-day on what we got and see if we can move forward, if not, we’ll just be kind of status quo.”

Tucker knows there’s a bit of a time crunch before the postseason kicks off. After Monday, there’ll be 11 games left and both he and the team would ideally like to have some plate appearances under his belt to make sure he’s in sync when the playoffs start.

His injury came at a time when he was in an offensive groove. Before the injury, Tucker was slashing .400/.489/.800 (1.289 OPS) with four home runs, four doubles and 11 RBI in his previous 11 games. That was more reminiscent of the player that helped carry the offense in the first half and was the starting left fielder for the National League at the All-Star Game.

“I don’t think there’s an actual specific number [of at-bats] or anything, but obviously I’d like to get back today, but it’s not really gonna happen,” Tucker said.

Here are some updates on other injured Cubs:

Miguel Amaya

The Cubs catcher will be the designated hitter for the Iowa Cubs on Tuesday when they kick off their final, six-game series of the season against the Toledo MudHens. Amaya hasn’t fully recovered from the right ankle sprain he suffered on Aug. 13 in Toronto, but if he hopes to be a part of a potential playoff roster, he needs the time on the field.

“Plan is for him to DH early in the week and hopefully catch some innings late in the week,” Counsell said. “He’s not 100%, but I think we felt like we got to get you into a game. We got to get you some game at-bats, we got to get you some game reps if the postseason roster is a possibility.

“Otherwise, we’re talking about just not enough at-bats to kind of consider you, not enough game action to consider you.”

Like Tucker, it’s running that will be the final hurdle to clear for Amaya.

“So he’s just not going to be running at full speed,” Counsell said. “Essentially the running thing is what we haven’t gotten to full speed yet.”

Seiya Suzuki

The Cubs designated hitter flew with the team to Pittsburgh and was warming up on the field before Monday’s opener.

Suzuki was battling an illness that caused him to miss the three-game set against the Tampa Bay Rays. He joined the team late on Sunday at Wrigley Field and flew on the team charter for the seven-game road trip.

He could be a possibility to play during this three-game series.

“He was in pretty bad shape yesterday,” Counsell said. “He’s on the field and just kind of got to get his strength and energy back.”

Daniel Palencia

The Cubs’ reliever (right shoulder) threw off the mound on Monday in Pittsburgh. He’ll throw another bullpen on Wednesday.

If all goes well, he could join Iowa before their season wraps up for a rehab assignment.

Ryan Brasier

The right-hander (left groin strain) will pitch for Iowa this week on a rehab assignment.

Braiser last pitched for the Cubs on Aug. 21 and has a 4.50 ERA in 28 games this season.