There has not been a bigger disappointment for the 2026 Chicago Cubs than Alex Bregman. The third baseman was supposed to be a steady offensive presence in the lineup, but halfway through the season, he’s been a below-average hitter, absolutely dreadful with runners in scoring position, and now he’s added more fuel to the fire by not hustling out of the batter’s box.
The Cubs had a great series win over the Milwaukee Brewers this past weekend, holding on in the 10th inning to win the series finale 4-3. Bregman did begin the game-ending 5-4-3 double play, but at the plate it was yet another stinker for the veteran. He went 0-for-4 and was 0-for-2 batting with runners in scoring position. That included a sixth-inning groundout to shortstop that pissed off Cubs fans more than they’ve already been at Bregman in 2026.
With one out, Pete Crow-Armstrong drew a walk against Brandon Woodruff, then he stole second base. Bregman hit a slow chopper to the Brewers’ shortstop, Cooper Pratt, who momentarily lost control of the ball but was able to recover in time to throw out Bregman. And it wasn’t really close, as Bregman was out by a full step at first base.
However, the lack of hustle is what truly irked Cubs fans because on the replay, you can clearly see him not going all out until he realizes that there was a bobble, but it was too little too late.
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Good on Jim Deshaies for calling out Bregman on the play because when you’re the Cubs facing a tough pitcher like they were in Woodruff, you need to take advantage of any break you can. If Bregman hustles just a little more right out of the box, then he’s safe, and suddenly the Cubs have runners on the corners with only one out. But no, instead Bregman was thrown out, and then the Brewers brought in a lefty reliever to face Michael Busch with two outs.
Back in the third inning, Bregman came up with two runners on, but he struck out. Bregman is now hitting .163 this year with runners in scoring position, going 15-for-92 in those spots. Among 179 qualified hitters, Bregman’s 34 wRC+ ranks fourth-worst in MLB when he’s hitting with runners in scoring position so far this season.
It is truly unbelievable how bad he’s been. Bregman’s .335 slugging % ranks only ahead of Brett Baty among everyday third basemen. He only has six home runs in 82 games, and now he can’t even run out a ground ball?
That’s the shit that fans will not get over. Guys go through rough stretches all the time; this team is full of streaky players, but fans will not have any patience for players who do not hustle, especially when that player is struggling to perform. On top of that, Bregman is the big free-agent signing that was lauded for his leadership.
It happened with Kyle Tucker last summer, so you certainly hope it doesn’t happen again with Bregman this year, too. Tucker spiraled in the second half and became public enemy number one for Cubs fans. Bregman is signed for five years, so he’d better get his shit together ASAP.
