Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman has had a disappointing start to his 2026 season, which has been met poorly by fans. There is a grace period that new players get, especially with big free-agent names, but that also means fans have higher expectations for the guys making the most on the team. So, when Bregman goes half the season with six home runs and a slugging percentage comparable to Nick Madrigal, fans will lose their patience. And well, maybe Bregman has lost his with the fans at Wrigley Field.
Fans have been jumping down Bregman’s throat because of his lack of production at the plate, but it got worse after Sunday’s game, when the veteran did not run hard out of the batter’s box and failed to reach safely after the Milwaukee Brewers shortstop bobbled a ground ball. Bregman apologized the next day, but prefaced his response by saying that he’s had soft-tissue injuries from running to first base in the past, which is why he tries to be more careful.
But now some Cubs fans think Bregman is subtly showing some pettiness based on his actions running around the bases after he hit a big, three-run home run against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday.
Bregman clearly makes the thumbs-down gesture as he heads over to third base after the home run, which definitely caught fans’ attention.
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers was seemingly the only reporter to run with this because he came back with an answer from Bregman.
Rogers later added more fuel to the fire, saying that, in his opinion, it was Bregman giving it back to the fans, but he wasn’t going to let that be known publicly. Again, that was simply Rogers’ opinion.
Bregman still hasn’t snapped out of his prolonged slump. To be fair, he’s not the worst hitter in the league, but he’s been far from what the Cubs expected when he was signed to a five-year, $175 million contract. He has a .681 OPS overall this year with seven home runs and a 96 wRC+.
At the end of the day, Cubs fans will only really care whether or not Bregman produces. Hey, if he needs this type of motivation, a me-against-the-world type of feeling, then go for it, as long as it actually leads to better numbers. Otherwise, if Bregman keeps putting up the same weak performances game after game, then this all looks incredibly childish from the so-called great clubhouse leader.
