A brutal day for injuries in Chicago began when Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman was hit in the face as he was awaiting his fourth-inning plate appearance, standing near the on-deck circle in Sunday’s series finale against the Cincinnati Reds. Michael Busch was at the plate when he tried to check his swing on a 1-2 pitch from Reds’ relief pitcher Luis Mey. The 97mph fastball was fouled off by Busch, and unfortunately the ricochet went toward Bregman, striking him directly in the face.
Bregman was immediately taken off the field and replaced by Matt Shaw.
The veteran infielder was taken to a local hospital. Cubs manager Craig Counsell provided an update, but couldn’t give too many details.
At first glance, it appears as though Bregman and the Cubs avoided a total disaster, as the foul ball went off Bregman’s left cheek, leaving him with swelling, a cut, a bloody nose, but most importantly the ball didn’t get his eye, which would have caused serious issues.
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Via Patrick Mooney.
Alex Bregman was taken to a local hospital for further testing, Cubs manager Craig Counsell said.
Update on Alex Bregman from Cubs manager Craig Counsell: “It’s the left cheekbone, essentially, under the eye. I don’t know anything more than that right now. He had a cut under his eye. He was bleeding from his nose a little bit. He’s pretty swollen.”
Bregman is expected to travel back to Chicago with the team after their 9-1 win in Cincinnati to close out their road trip. The Cubs have six games remaining before the start of the postseason, including their final regular-season series at Wrigley Field, which begins Tuesday against the Miami Marlins. After that, the Cubs will end the year with a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox.
After a slow start in his first year with the Cubs, Bregman has rebounded in a big way since the All-Star break. He’s not only on his way to being a Gold Glove finalist at third and the presumptive favorite to win the defensive award, but he has also been the top hitter in MLB for the past two months. Overall in 2026, Bregman has a slash line of .262/.352/.452 with 26 home runs.
The Cubs are one win or one Arizona Diamondbacks loss away from clinching a playoff spot. At this point, the Cubs’ Wild Card spot is yet to be determined, with a week left to play in the regular season. As for Bregman, the Cubs will hope he can recover in time to return by Sept. 29, when the MLB Postseason gets underway.
