Alex Bregman’s rough first half for the 2026 Chicago Cubs just found a new low, and this one had nothing to do with a swing and everything to do with effort.
The Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in 10 innings on Sunday to take the series finale, but Bregman once again left fans with plenty to grumble about. He finished 0-for-4, went 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position, and added a sixth-inning groundout that turned into the kind of play Cubs fans won’t forget anytime soon.
After Pete Crow-Armstrong drew a walk against Brandon Woodruff and then stole second with one out, Bregman rolled a slow chopper to Brewers shortstop Cooper Pratt. Pratt bobbled the ball before recovering and throwing Bregman out at first by a full step. The problem for Cubs fans was what came before the throw: on the replay, Bregman can be seen not going all out until he realizes there was a bobble, and by then the chance to beat it out was gone.
That sequence mattered because a little more urgency would have changed the whole inning. Instead of an out, the Cubs could have had runners on the corners with one out. Instead, Bregman was retired, the Brewers turned to a left-handed reliever for Michael Busch with two outs, and Chicago’s threat was gone.
Jim Deshaies called out the play, and it’s not hard to see why. Against a pitcher like Woodruff, the Cubs needed every break they could get, and Bregman let one slip away.
The frustrating part for Chicago is that this wasn’t an isolated cold night. In the third inning, Bregman came up with two runners on and struck out.
He’s now hitting .163 this season with runners in scoring position, going 15-for-92 in those situations. Among 179 qualified hitters, his 34 wRC+ ranks fourth-worst in MLB with runners in scoring position.
The overall numbers aren’t much prettier. Bregman’s .335 slugging percentage is only better than Brett Baty among everyday third basemen, and he has just six home runs in 82 games.
That’s why the hustle play hit such a nerve. Slumps happen.
This Cubs team has its share of streaky hitters. But fans have little patience for a player who isn’t running hard when he’s already struggling to produce, especially one brought in as the big free-agent signing and praised for his leadership.
The comparison to Kyle Tucker from last summer is hard to miss. Tucker fell apart in the second half and quickly became public enemy No. 1 with Cubs fans. Bregman is signed for five years, and if he’s going to avoid that same fate, he needs to turn this around fast.