The Cubs were rolling in Cincinnati on Sunday, but the mood changed fast when Alex Bregman took a foul ball to the face in the on-deck circle and was rushed into the visitor’s clubhouse.
Bregman was later taken to a hospital in Cincinnati for testing after being struck on his left cheek bone. The hit left him with a cut and a bloody nose, and his cheek was described as pretty swollen.
Busch was batting with two outs in the top of the fourth and Chicago already ahead 5-0 when he fouled a ball back toward Bregman. The ball caught the Cubs’ third baseman in the face, and he was replaced by Matt Shaw.
Bregman had already been a key part of Chicago’s surge in the second half. Before the injury, he helped get the offense going by driving in his 89th run of the season. After a rough first half, he had settled in and given the Cubs a major lift at the plate, becoming one of Craig Counsell’s most important offensive pieces.
That’s why the concern goes beyond the moment itself. The Cubs are closing in on a playoff spot, and with the postseason just over a week away, any extended absence for Bregman would be a major blow to the lineup.
Chicago has spent much of the season battling injuries, especially on the pitching side, but the position-player group had largely avoided a crushing loss. The team also just got Dansby Swanson back from a month-long IL stint, giving the infield a full-strength look right as October approaches.
For now, the Cubs are waiting on an update and hoping the injury isn’t as bad as it looked.
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