HOUSTON -- The Astros welcomed All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker back to their starting lineup for Friday¡¯s series-opening 8-0 win over the Diamondbacks at Minute Maid Park, marking his first game action since he fractured his right shin on a foul ball on June 3.

Tucker, who didn¡¯t have a Minor League rehab assignment, batted fourth and started at designated hitter against Arizona. To make room on the roster, infielder Zach Dezenzo was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land, while left-hander Parker Mushinski was designated for assignment to clear room on the 40-man.

"He is overly excited,¡± Astros manager Joe Espada said. ¡°He¡¯s happy to be back in the lineup. We all are happy to have him back in the lineup. The extra energy [he brings] to the club, the extra bat in there, everyone is excited to have him back.¡±

Espada said the Astros will have to monitor Tucker¡¯s playing time closely the remainder of the season, meaning he won¡¯t play every day. Tucker is running at about 75-80 percent intensity, Espada said.

"Day to day, we¡¯ll see how he feels,¡± Espada said. ¡°It¡¯s not going [to be] pencil him in [for] days in a row. We just have to wait and see how he feels."

Despite playing only 60 games, Tucker earned his third All-Star selection this season on the strength of a terrific start: a .266/.395/.584 slash line with 19 home runs, 40 RBIs and 10 steals. Houston was 27-34 and seven games out of first place at the time of Tucker's injury, but it entered Friday with a 4 1/2-game lead over Seattle for first place in the AL West.

Tucker revealed Monday that a small fracture was found in his shin, which comes as no surprise considering he's been sidelined for three months. The injury had been called a shin contusion following the initial imaging and testing.